Sabrina Ionescu struggled as the New York Liberty fell 79-60 to the Golden State Valkyries at Barclays Center, shooting 2-for-12 from the field and 1-for-9 from 3-point range for seven points.
Ionescu was not the only Liberty player who had difficulty against the Valkyries’ high-pressure defense. Leonie Fiebich went 1-for-6 from behind the arc, while Rebecca Allen finished 1-for-4.
As a team, New York shot a season-low 30.2 percent from the field and made just seven of 31 attempts from 3-point range.
Sabrina Ionescu remains in 3-point slump
The performance was part of a larger slump for Ionescu, who has endured a difficult three-plus weeks. Over the Liberty’s past seven games, she has attempted a team-high 50 shots from beyond the arc despite missing one game with a foot injury.
However, Ionescu ranks fourth on the team in made 3-pointers during that stretch, converting only eight of those attempts.
Ionescu was not specifically asked about her slump after the loss. Allen said she was disappointed by Thursday’s performance, but Ionescu said she wasn’t “personally disappointed.”
“I think we got really good looks,” she said. “We just didn’t make them.”
Ionescu has dealt with several injuries this season. Most recently, she missed the Liberty’s Aug. 15 game in Connecticut because of a left foot injury. It remains unclear whether a lingering injury is affecting her performance.
Regardless, Ionescu appears poised to benefit from a break. After Saturday’s game against Natasha Cloud and the Chicago Sky, the Liberty will pause for the FIBA World Cup. The WNBA season resumes Sept. 17.
Ionescu was left off the U.S. roster and plans to use the break to train and “continue to get really healthy, take care of my body, feel good.”
“Hopefully, can have really fresh legs, can feel really good and in rhythm come the last four games of the regular season,” she said. “And then start the playoffs feeling good.”
Liberty drop to eighth in WNBA playoff standings
The eight playoff teams have already been determined, but teams continue to compete for seeding. Thursday’s loss dropped the Liberty to eighth place, putting them on course to face the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-three first-round series.
Ionescu said she is not following the standings because the team cannot control them. Still, the fresh start provided by the playoffs appears to be something she welcomes.
“We’ve never talked about it as a team, where we fall,” she said. “We understand we got to be peaking at the right time and playing our style of basketball and feeling really good, and I think knowing you can kind of have a fresh start when the playoffs come and put everything behind you in the regular season.”
