Sabrina Ionescu faced significant challenges in the Liberty’s disappointing 79-60 defeat at the hands of the Valkyries, which took place at Barclays Center.
Ionescu had a tough night, connecting on only 2 of her 12 shots, including just 1 of 9 attempts from beyond the arc, ending the game with seven points.
She wasn’t alone in her struggles; the Liberty as a whole found it difficult to overcome the Valkyries’ relentless defense.
Leonie Fiebich managed just 1 of 6 from three-point territory, while Rebecca Allen’s performance was similarly challenging, shooting 1-for-4.
In total, the team recorded their lowest shooting percentage of the season at 30.2 percent, including just 7 successful shots out of 31 attempts from three-point range.
But this isn’t just a bad night for Ionescu. She has had a troublesome three-plus weeks as she has been stuck in a slump.
Over the Liberty’s past seven games, Ionescu’s attempted a team-high 50 shots from behind the arc, despite missing one game because of a foot injury.
Yet, she’s fourth in made 3s as she’s drained only eight of those attempts.
Ionescu wasn’t asked specifically about her slump after the Liberty’s loss. Though Allen said she felt disappointed by Thursday’s showing, 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 her fair share of injuries this season. Most recently, she missed the Liberty’s Aug. 15 game in Connecticut with a left foot injury.
It’s unclear whether a nagging injury could be impacting Ionescu.
Nevertheless, she seems like she could use a break.
After Saturday against Natasha Cloud and the Chicago Sky, the Liberty temporarily breaks up for the FIBA World Cup. The WNBA season resumes Sept. 17.
Ionescu, who was left off the U.S. roster, plans to use that time 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.”
The eight playoff teams already have been decided. The next question is what the bracket will look like as teams are still fighting for seeding.
With Thursday’s loss, the Liberty dropped to eighth, which would put them in line to face the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the best-of-three first-round series.
Ionescu said she isn’t watching the standings because it’s out of their control. But the clean slate that comes with the playoffs seems to be something she’s looking forward to.
“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.”