The New York Liberty stormed back from a seemingly insurmountable 19-point hole and pulled off a come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Dream, 79-72, at Barclays Center on Sunday. It once again showed that no lead is safe in the WNBA.
After a lopsided first half in favor of the Dream, the second half became hotly contested as the Liberty were making their run. Tension arose as some fans, along with the players, didn’t like how the game was being officiated.
Liberty Fan Makes Hilarious Gesture Toward Referee
The Liberty finally grabbed the lead, 52-51, in their final possession of the third quarter after Leonie Fiebich sank a three-pointer. It started their surge, and they never looked back.
With New York Liberty leading by six, 72-66, with only 2:30 left in the fourth period, Fiebich was whistled for a foul. She didn’t agree with the call and talked to the referee. Behind them, a woman suddenly took off her eyeglasses and offered them to the official.
Her fellow fans around her laughed hard at the hilarious moment. The referee, however, missed it—no pun intended. That lady deserves free tickets for life.
The Dream capitalized on a significant edge at the free throw line, making 17 of 28 attempts, while the Liberty—still without Jonquel Jones due to an ankle injury—shot just 10 of 11. Officials called 18 fouls on New York and whistled Atlanta for 12.
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Liberty Continue To Climb The Ladder
The Liberty notched back-to-back wins and improved to 14-6. They are tied with the Phoenix Mercury for the second-best record in the WNBA, trailing the Minnesota Lynx, who are dominating with an 18-4 record.
Fiebich led New York with 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including four three-pointers. She added four rebounds and four assists.
Breanna Stewart backed her up with a double-double, posting 18 points and 10 rebounds, along with four assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionescu struggled throughout the game. She scored just nine points on 3-of-20 shooting, including missing all seven of her attempts from beyond the arc.
Despite expressing doubts about the officiating, the Liberty stayed composed and buckled down to complete a massive comeback.
They have the chance to make it three wins in a row on Wednesday. But it won’t be easy against the Indiana Fever, who are gaining momentum following the return of Caitlin Clark from a groin injury.
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