Latest news with #Sabally
New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Leonie Fiebich did exactly what Liberty needed — and then some — in win
WASHINGTON — Leonie Fiebich is a not-so-secret stabilizer for the Liberty. She never gets too high or too low. She doesn't always put up the flashiest numbers. Her defensive efforts can go unappreciated by the average eye. But not to her teammates. She can score, but she knows her role on a team loaded with offensive firepower. In Friday's 85-63 win, though, with the Liberty gassed from playing a game the night before, Fiebich came in and did exactly what the Liberty needed from her. 3 Leonie Fiebich looks to make a move during the Liberty's 85-63 blowout road win over the Mystics on May 30, 2025. NBAE via Getty Images Fiebich played her best game of the season. She scored 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting (2-for-3 from deep) and contributed nine rebounds, three blocks and an assist. 3 Leonie Fiebich goes up for a layup during the Liberty's blowout road victory over the Mystics. NBAE via Getty Images It was the type of showing coach Sandy Brondello has come to expect from her German forward. 'Every day, you know what you're going to get day-in and day-out,' Brondello said of Fiebich. 'We appreciate that. She loves defense; she's so versatile. But you can see that. She was shooting 3s. She was cutting. She was posting out. So it was great for us.' Jonquel Jones called Fiebich a defensive anchor of the team. She can guard the opposing team's best guards or wings, using her length and athleticism to shut them down. 'She's someone that we're not worried about that matchup,' Jones said. 'We understand that she can go out there and just be really productive in that sense, but it's something that maybe other people overlook but we don't overlook it on our team. We understand how valuable she is to us.' Backup center Nyara Sabally remains sidelined with a right knee issue. Friday marked the fourth game Sabally missed this week after discomfort flared up in her surgically repaired knee while warming up for the Liberty's game at Indiana. Brondello has said Sabally is 'fine' and has expressed caution with not wanting to rush Sabally back to the floor before she's ready. 3 Nyara Sabally during a game last season. Michelle Farsi/New York Post 'Hopefully, she's back by Sunday,' Brondello said pregame. 'She's making progress but we want to make sure she's feeling 100 percent.' Sabally did an individual workout Thursday and has been shooting, Brondello said. But concern surrounding Sabally's knee continues to grow the longer she remains out. Jones recorded her fourth double-double of the season Friday and 26th since joining the Liberty before the 2023 season. Jones grabbed 18 rebounds, her most in a regular-season game since 2019. She also scored 14 points. The Liberty have yet to lose when Jones posts a double-double.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Jonquel Jones, Nyara Sabally ruled out of Liberty's game against Valkyries with injuries
New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones and forward Nyara Sabally have been ruled out of Thursday's game against the Golden State Valkyries. Hours before the game in Brooklyn, Underdog WNBA reported that Jones is out with a hamstring injury while Sabally, who was initially deemed questionable, is sitting out with a knee injury. Both players are under day-to-day status. Advertisement Their injuries come as the defending WNBA Champions are off to a hot start this season, winning all four of their first games. After beating the Las Vegas Aces on opening day and beating the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever on the road, New York defeated the Valkyries in the first of back-to-back games on Tuesday. Jones, who anchored the Liberty on the paint to win the Finals MVP in 2024, is averaging a near double-double this season. In her third year wearing seafoam green, she is averaging 16.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Sabally has appeared in two games so far this season and is averaging four points and rebounds per game off the Liberty bench. Their absence on Thursday night means the Liberty may primarily rely on Breanna Stewart to rule the paint in a smaller lineup against Golden State. Advertisement The Valkyries look to bounce back from Tuesday's 95-67 blowout as they hold a 2-2 record and sit seventh in the league standings. New York leads the Eastern Conference and sits second overall in the WNBA behind the 5-0 Minnesota Lynx.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sabally, Thomas power Mercury over Storm in season opener without Copper
The Phoenix Mercury's post-Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner era began with a bang in their 81-59 blowout victory at home over the Seattle Storm on May 17. The regular season debut for their new Big 3 of Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper together was delayed. Just hours before Phoenix's season-opening home game against the Seattle Storm, the Mercury announced that Copper underwent successful arthroscopic left knee surgery and will return in the next four to six weeks. Advertisement "I was sad, honestly," Sabally said after the game about when she first heard Copper was sidelined through June. "She's just someone that's so vocal on the court, off the court, and genuinely such a good soul. You hate to see someone down like that, but God always shows you when it's time to rest. "I think she had an amazing offseason (in Unrivaled). She had an amazing Olympic year. Now she will just take time to heal and she'll be back in no time," Sabally continued. Thomas and Sabally compensated for the Mercury's top returning scorer's absence by shining in their debuts for Phoenix. Sabally had the game-high 27 points, added six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Thomas produced 20 points, seven rebounds, a team-high five assists, and two steals. Sabally started hot by hitting six of her first nine attempts, including three from deep, and Thomas made five of her first eight. Advertisement Seattle's top performers were former Mercury All-Star Skylar Diggins (team-high 21 points, four assists, three rebounds) and Nneka Ogwumike (12 points, seven rebounds). "It would too bold to let one of them go off because they could easily go for 40 any night," Sabally said. "You definitely have to keep both honest and contain them, but we did an amazing job on Nneka. And I mean Sky's excellent on those left-hand drives and those pull-up shots, but we'll take the pull-up shots. We really executed what we wanted to do and I think you could see that." After the glitz and pyrotechnics of the Mercury's elaborate team introduction, Thomas ignited the team's energy to match the hyped X-Factor crowd. Last season's MVP candidate scored the first bucket from a slick spin move off the dribble at the nail and split two defenders to get into the paint for a smooth layup finish. "Anytime that you have a crowd that's behind you like that, it just fuels you more," Thomas said. "As you can see, we were excited on the court within ourselves and to have the crowd behind us just as excited, the X-Factor is a great fan base." Phoenix led Seattle all night, held a double-digit advantage for most of the game, and was up by 14 points twice during the first half. After Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts pulled out Thomas, Sabally and his other starters at 4 minutes left, the margin stretched to 27 at 1:43 remaining. Advertisement The Mercury were also without their forward/center Natasha Mack (lower back), who's sidelined for approximately two to three weeks. Mack was the Mercury's backup big for Griner last season, and averaged 3.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists through 11 starts and 40 games played. Despite being shorthanded, Tibbetts said during his pregame media availability that Seattle's physical style of play with their size and length requires his team to outrebound them collectively. The Mercury outhustled the Storm on the glass 38-29, shot 51.7% and held the Storm to a meager 33.3%, shared the ball well with 19 assists on 30 makes, and dominated the paint 42-30. The Mercury's only drawback was their 17 turnovers that allowed 18 points, whereas the Storm had 13 giveaways that conceded 16. "I thought our defense was fantastic," Tibbetts said. "Our on-ball defense, our pick-and-roll coverage, our toughness, our grit and you can't be a good defense without finishing possessions. So we did that and that's important." This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sabally, Thomas power Mercury over Storm in season debut without Copper
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Satou Sabally dominates in WNBA opener, Sabrina Ionescu picks up win
Satou Sabally dominates in WNBA opener, Sabrina Ionescu picks up win The 2025 WNBA season kicked off this weekend with a handful of great matchups on the slate and several former Oregon Ducks getting on the court and tipping things off. While there was a lot of action to watch for Oregon fans, nobody was more impressive than Satou Sabally, who had a game-high 27 points in the Phoenix Mercury's 81-59 win over the Seattle Storm to start the season. Sabally also had six rebounds and one assist in the game. It was a great opening showing for Sabally, who was traded from the Dallas Wings to the Mercury this offseason in a four-team deal that also included Sophie Cunningham going to the Indiana Fever to play alongside Caitlin Clark. The trade also involved fellow All-Stars Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper. Elsewhere in the 'W,' former Ducks Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally picked up their first wins of the season as well, taking down the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, 92-78. Ionescu, one of the top scorers on the team, had a relatively quiet game with only eight points, but she also added seven rebounds and four assists. Sabally had six points and five rebounds in the win. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New York Liberty Make Exciting Decision on Nyara Sabally
The New York Liberty are set to get the 2025 WNBA regular season underway. After making a run and becoming champions last season, there is a lot of buzz surrounding the Liberty. Of course, the team is headlined by Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones. However, the franchise has done an excellent job of building a great supporting cast around them. Advertisement During the 2024 WNBA season, one solid contributor was former No. 5 overall pick Nyara Sabally. She didn't put up gaudy numbers, but she was a consistent presence when she was on the court. Throughout the course of the year, Sabally played in 26 games, averaging 13.5 minutes per contest. She averaged 4.9 points per game to go along with four rebounds, while shooting 57.5% from the floor. Just ahead of the start of the season, the Liberty have made an exciting decision regarding the future of Sabally. She's sticking around for awhile longer at least. On Monday afternoon, New York announced that it had exercised Sabally's fourth-year contract option, which extends her contract for the 2026 season. Sabally will continue being a big part of the bench unit for the Liberty moving forward. New York Liberty forward Nyara Sabally.© Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images During the postseason, had a huge game in the WNBA Finals in the closeout game against the Minnesota Lynx. She scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 17 minutes. Advertisement Keeping Sabally in town will keep a solid reserve presence on the roster. If she can continue developing, she could become an even bigger piece of the puzzle than she was in 2024. Related: Angel Reese Praised for What She Did by Chicago Sky Teammate
