The New York Liberty walked into their matchup against the Atlanta Dream knowing they needed to bounce back. Down 11 at halftime and facing a 28-11 free-throw disparity, the defending champions found themselves in familiar territory: fighting uphill against both their opponents and the officials.
How Does Sabrina Ionescu Handle Liberty’s Free-Throw Struggles?
Things weren’t going the Liberty’s way from the opening tip. New York trailed by double-digit points at halftime, with Sabrina Ionescu shooting 1-of-11 from the field contributing to the early deficit. Although Leonie Fiebich’s heroics helped rescue the team, the game never felt comfortable for the champions.
The most glaring issue was the free-throw disparity between the two teams. Atlanta attempted 28 free throws during the game, while New York managed just 11. This imbalance isn’t new for the Liberty. Over the past two years, New York has won three games where their opponent attempted at least 16 more free throws than them. The rest of the league has three such games combined in that same timeframe.
When Ionescu was asked what this statistic reveals about her team’s identity, she shook her head and smiled in disbelief. “Yeah, I mean, hopefully we don’t have to keep getting in these situations,” she joked. “But, I think it just shows a group who’s kind of just hard-nosed and doesn’t really let the officiating get to us.”
“we never let that be the reason why we’re sitting here in media now and just talking about the refs; it’s not about them, it’s about us” pic.twitter.com/USN1WTuD0A
— iz lvs ionescu 🐦🔥 (@sunkisses4bella) July 14, 2025
While officiating impacts any game’s outcome, Ionescu emphasizes her team’s responsibility in determining results.
“I feel like we really played through it tonight, understanding obviously there was a huge foul discrepancy, but we never let that be the reason why we’re sitting here in media now and just talking about the refs, it’s not about them,” said the four-time All-Star. “It’s about us and wanting to find a way to be able to play through I,t and at some point, hopefully we’ll be on the other end of it.”
New York did exactly that against Atlanta. Their resilience kept them competitive throughout the game, allowing them to turn the tide in the second half. Ionescu’s comments carry extra weight considering the questionable calls she faced during the game, yet the guard chose not to make officiating the focal point of her postgame remarks.
The Liberty’s final test before the All-Star Weekend comes against another championship-caliber squad in the Indiana Fever, a team dealing with its own struggles.
As expected coming into the 2024-25 season, New York remains in prime position to contend for another title. The defending champions started strong with a 9-0 record through their first nine games but have looked shaky since, winning just three of their next nine contests.
However, a win over the Fever would give them a three-game win streak heading into the break.
