'They Made Us Work': Sabrina Ionescu Makes Honest Admission After New York Liberty Defeat Golden State Valkyries

Stewart wasted no time establishing herself, scoring New York’s first nine points and dominating the opening stretch. Her pull-up jumper with just under three minutes to play in the first quarter gave the Liberty a commanding 19-point advantage.

The Valkyries, playing their second straight road game, struggled to generate offense out of the gate, going just 2-of-15 from the field in the opening frame and trailing 27–10 after one. It marked their lowest-scoring first quarter of the season.

“It wasn’t our cleanest game, but we found ways to win—especially down the stretch,” Stewart said. “I’m proud of how we executed late and made our free throws count.”

Marine Johannes Ignites from Deep

Marine Johannes delivered her best performance of the season, scoring 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc, including four triples in the second quarter alone. The Liberty racked up a season-high 30 assists, led by Natasha Cloud’s five, while shooting 50% from the field and converting 14 threes.

“They made us work for everything,” said Sabrina Ionescu, who finished with 24 points and six made threes. “I just tried to stay aggressive and take what the defense gave me. My teammates did a great job moving the ball and finding me on the perimeter.”

Despite her modest stat line, Cloud posted a team-best plus/minus and impacted the game across multiple areas.

“It wasn’t my best night offensively, but I wanted to impact the game in other ways,” Cloud said. “Defense, rebounding, just being a leader out there.”

Golden State Valkyries Struggle to Keep Pace

Golden State (0–4) was led by former Liberty forward Kayla Thornton and Veronica Burton with 13 points apiece, while Temi Fagbenle added 11. The expansion franchise turned the ball over 21 times, which led to 32 points for New York. The Liberty also tallied 14 steals and dominated transition opportunities.

“It’s a young team, but they play hard,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said. “We’ll look at the film, work on our third-quarter lapses, and get ready for the next one. But I’m happy with how our veterans stepped up in the clutch.”

New York will look to remain unbeaten when it returns to action Saturday against the Connecticut Sun.