Liberty coach Sandy Brondello called a timeout at the 8:38 mark of the third quarter Tuesday night to disrupt the Mystics’ growing momentum.
Washington opened the second half on an 8-2 run, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers to trim the Liberty’s 15-point halftime lead to nine.
The timeout was a chance to regroup and recalibrate.
About two minutes later, Brondello subbed in Kennedy Burke and Emma Meesseman.
The vibes changed almost immediately.
Sabrina Ionescu connected with Burke for a layup.
Moments later, Breanna Stewart fed Meesseman for a 3-pointer to grow the Liberty’s lead to 12.
Meesseman finished with a game-high 19 points off the bench to help the Liberty beat the Mystics 75-66 at Barclays Center.
Ionescu joked that Tuesday was a “light day for [Meesseman] at the office.”
“It’s huge, I mean just knowing we have that lift off the bench and also she has the experience. She knows what it takes in this league,” said Ionescu, who returned to the starting lineup Tuesday after missing the past four games with a toe injury. “She’s not really fazed by anything.”
It’s the job of the bench to keep the game steady when starters check out. But it can also provide a much-needed boost when the game calls for it.
That third-quarter stretch powered by Meesseman was an example of how important a team’s depth is.
Meesseman scored nine points in the third and got to the free-throw line four times. When Meesseman and Burke were on the floor, the Liberty outscored the Mystics by four in the quarter.
Meesseman, who in August was a rare midseason free agent pickup for New York, has provided huge moments night in and night out.
“She’s not just a great player, she’s also a great person and she puts the team first,” said Jonquel Jones, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds. “It’s amazing that we have the opportunity to have her here and be a part of this and we all know that she’s not a bench player but she’s going to do that for our team and it makes us stronger and allows us to … have quarters where we kind of start and have a little lull and then she can come in the game and change things so quickly for us and so we understand that she’s amazing and that we’re happy that she’s wearing the New York Liberty jersey.”
Much has been made about the fact Stewart, Ionescu and Jones have played only 14 games together. And Tuesday was only the 11th time this season the Liberty have deployed their opening night starting lineup of Natasha Cloud, Ionescu, Leonie Fiebich, Stewart and Jones.
And while the stars always shine brighter in the playoffs, the bench’s importance can’t be overlooked.
New York’s reserves outscored the Mystics’ 29-14.
Experience can’t be underestimated either. The Liberty have eight players who’ve won a WNBA championship, several with Olympic medals and a few EuroLeague champions.
“Experience really helps especially when you get into the playoffs and especially for us kind of being a lower seed and having to go win on the road,” said Ionescu, who had six points, nine assists and five rebounds. “[We understand] it’s not easy but also it’s doable. So many players have done it. And I think we’re excited to kind of be able to tell that story.”
It was quite nice to see the Liberty with a clean bill of health for the first time since May. It gave a better sense of what this team can be when its best players are together.
The Liberty defense looked much improved, especially in the first half when New York held the Mystics to only 26 points. But there’s still room for improvement.
“Our communication was top tier,” Jones said. “We had the right rotations, we were communicating with each other. We understood not just our defensive assignments but we know what our foundation is as a team and what we want to try to force out there. So I think it’s a good step in the right direction. Now we just have to put it together for the entirety of the game.”
The Liberty improved to 26-17 on the season and 12-2 when their big three plays.
They will wrap up the regular season Thursday in Chicago.
The defending champions secured the fifth seed and will head to Phoenix — who locked in the fourth seed with an 88-83 loss to the Sparks on Tuesday — for Game 1 of their first-round series.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
