Postgame Notes & Stats: Phoenix Mercury vs New York Liberty - July 7, 2022
July 8, 2022 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Phoenix Mercury News Release
NEW YORK LIBERTY HEAD COACH SANDY BRONDELLO...................................................................................................
(On how impressed she's been with team effort coming off back-to-back games)
"It's been great. We talked about, especially with [Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Howard]
that we've overworked them a fair bit. I still overwork them, but we still need some energy
coming from the bench and DiDi [Richards] and [Michaela Onyenwere] have really found a groove there at both
ends of the floor. It allows us to have that big body, because we do have small guards, and all of our injured
players were our bigger wing players. They're getting better and better. They haven't had much
on-court time, and you see they're getting a lot more in rhythm with what we're trying to do."
(On what the performance meant)
"It means a lot. It means we're taking steps in the right direction. Arriving at four a.m. in the
morning and getting whatever sleep you can, and getting ready for a game after a very, I mean
that was a great game if you didn't watch it last night. It was highly emotional. Then, to just reset. We didn't come
out sharp, but we found a way to get back into it. Look, I'm proud of them. I'm disappointed that we didn't win,
but I'm proud of them. I know we're in the right direction here, and we're still a young group, and we're going to
keep rolling and learning together with every experience that we have."
NEW YORK LIBERTY GUARD SABRINA IONESCU ............................................................... 22 POINTS |10 REBOUNDS
(On the team bench)
"The bench gave us a huge lift. All the names that you read out have all started for us at some point. We do not
see them as bench players. We see them as pieces of the puzzle that continues to helps us win every single game.
Their ability to come in night in and night out even if it is a back-to-back, and give it everything they have always
gives us a spark. They did that tonight, so I am really proud of them. They help us just as much as we help them."
(On overall confidence for the second half of the season)
"I mean it is going to be better. We have continued to grow in the first two months of the
season, and the second half is going to be better than the first. We're going to continue to
learn, continue to grow as a group, get some players back in, and get them up to speed on what
we're running, how we're running things, and our style of play. We're just going to continue to
add and that's really exciting because we are missing a lot of players. I think the sky is the limit
and we are definitely very excited for the second half."
NEW YORK LIBERTY FORWARD NATASHA HOWARD............................................................... 16 POINTS |7 REBOUNDS
(On positives that can be take away from the game)
"We kept fighting. We didn't give up. Even though we had a game last night we still came out
with every bit of energy- positive energy- to get to Phoenix. I felt like everybody did their part,
on defense and on offense."
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 8, 2022
- Aces Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum Headline WNBA Skills Challenge Saturday - Las Vegas Aces
- Lynx Guard Aerial Power Named Western Conference Player of the Week - Minnesota Lynx
- WNBA Skills Challenge to Feature All-Stars Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty, Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun and Courtney Vandersloot of the Chicago Sky - WNBA
- Azurá Stevens and Courtney Vandersloot Set to Compete in 2022 WNBA All-Star Skills Challenge - Chicago Sky
- Sabrina Ionescu to Compete in WNBA Skills Challenge on July 9 - New York Liberty
- Sabrina Ionescu Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week - New York Liberty
- Storm Break Franchise Shooting Record in 106-69 Win at LA - Seattle Storm
- 4-Point Shot Highlights Special Rules for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022 - WNBA
- Kelsey Mitchell Ties Season-High with 27 Points as Fever Head to All-Star Break - Indiana Fever
- Postgame Notes & Stats: Phoenix Mercury vs New York Liberty - July 7, 2022 - Phoenix Mercury
- POSTGAME NOTES: Mercury 84, Liberty 81 - New York Liberty
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