NFL
By: Tatum Harding
This weekend, the Connecticut Sun will play the dominant New York Liberty. It will be one of the biggest tests they’ve had so far. The Sun need to play well on both ends of the court if they want to secure a statement win. To pull off the upset, they need to concentrate their attention on each of these three main areas.
1. Throw off New York’s backcourt rhythm
Sabrina Ionescu (2.7 threes per game) and Natasha Cloud (leads the league in assists at 6.8 per game and steals at 1.8 per game) give the Liberty a lot of speed in their backcourt.
What the Sun must do:
- The Sun needs to put pressure on Ionescu and Cloud by playing strong on-ball and switching defense. This will force them to take tough mid-range or contested shots.
- Limit Liberty’s chances to fast-break and deflect the ball by blocking Cloud’s passing lanes and stopping Ionescu’s shooting rhythm.
- Liberty’s fast-paced offense might slow down if they have to run half-court plays.
2. Own the Paint and Crash the Boards
In their win, New York’s depth and ability to grab rebounds stood out. Jonquel Jones averaged 11.4 RPG, and the Liberty dominated down low, while outscoring Sun starters even in bench minutes, 35–31.
Sun’s approach:
- Focus on physical defense in the paint and rebounds, especially keeping position against Jones and Harrison.
- Use Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Tina Charles to guard the glass and get second-chance points.
- Utilize every offensive rebound chance and try to keep the pace high off rebounds.
3. Get Consistent Scoring with a Balanced Attack
Connecticut only scored 68–72 points per game in recent matchups, with poor shooting: around 39% field goals and only 28% from three in early-season games. While New York lets in almost 89 points per game, which is a lot more than the Suns’ scoring output.
Sun’s priorities:
- Space the floor to find open threes, combining drives with kick-outs.
- Focus on efficient scoring by targeting high-percentage looks, especially through transition or early in the shot clock.
- Motion sets and pick-and-rolls are great ways to get players like Leïla Lacan, Bria Hartley, Jacy Sheldon, and Marina Mabrey to help score.
The Sun have a real chance to beat one of the best teams in the league if they can disrupt New York’s backcourt, take control of the boards, and find a steady rhythm on offense. It’s not just about skill; they’ll also have to show they have the resilience, precision, and ability to execute against the Liberty on the biggest stage.
