At the halfway point of the regular season, the Liberty are behind last year’s pace by three games.
But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Last season, the Liberty started incredibly well, winning 17 of their first 23 games, but they fell off significantly late and failed to advance out of the first round of the playoffs.
This year’s group is showing signs of trending in the right direction as the season gets deeper. The Liberty (13-9) began the year 3-4 and are 10-5 since. That doesn’t include the Commissioner’s Cup title over the Aces.
The Liberty are ranked fifth in defensive rating (104.5), fourth in offense (109.8) and third in NET rating (plus-5.1, per 100 possessions).
At this point a year ago, they were second in offense (106.9), third in defense (98.1) and second in NET (8.9), although they would finish worse than that in all three categories.
One reason to be optimistic is the play of Jonquel Jones, who was limited by injuries a year ago but has found her All-Star form. She will represent the team at the July 25 showcase in Chicago, along with forward Breanna Stewart.
Four of the Liberty’s nine losses have come by single digits. They could easily have a better record, and their remaining schedule ranks ninth out of 15, according to Tankathon.com. The Liberty sit fifth in the WNBA standings, but they are only 2 ¹/₂ games out of second.
Maybe this year will wind up being the opposite of the previous season: instead of a fast start, a strong finish.
The Liberty remain mum on the statuses of several key players heading into Saturday’s tilt against the league-leading Lynx.
Coach Chris DeMarco didn’t have immediate updates Tuesday night after rookie Pauline Astier and reserve Rebecca Allen exited the loss to the Wings with apparent injuries.
Astier appeared to tweak her ankle after stepping on Aziaha James’ foot early in the fourth quarter. She left the game moments later and didn’t return.
Shortly after, Jessica Shepard elbowed Allen in the nose, sending the Aussie to the locker room.
Leonie Fiebich missed Tuesday’s game with left foot soreness that flared up after Friday’s win against Minnesota. She was in the gym putting up shots the next day but missed Monday’s practice.
DeMarco previously said she was day to day. Fiebich underwent an MRI exam but the results haven’t been publicly shared.
