Sabrina Ionescus offseason focus paid Game 1 dividends for Liberty after last years Aces disaster

So much of Sabrina Ionescu’s offseason work was for this exact reason.What if opposing defenses — specifically the Aces — were able to limit her 3-point prowess? Could she still find ways to impact the game?Ionescu over the offseason sought to improve her first step and ability to beat defenders off the dribble in order to become less one-dimensional on offense.It was evident in the Liberty’s 87-77 Game 1 win over the Aces Sunday night in the WNBA semifinals.She scored 21 points and recorded a team-high five assists on 9 of 15 shooting from the field.

Six of her nine field goals came less than five feet from the basket, per the WNBA’s official stats.Ionescu’s ability to get to the rim has shifted the power dynamic between the two superteams.“I think it’s helped all season,” Ionescu said after the game.“Just being able to get into the paint, whether it’s finishing, driving, looking to kick, whether it’s dump off to the bigs or trying to find my shooters.

But obviously anytime you’re able to get into the paint, it collapses the defense.“I know that’s something I’ve tried to do all season long, but especially in this series, to be able to see that tonight — my driving ability, to be able to get paint touches and get some easy ones in and be able to rely on my shot not as much as I probably have in the past, it’s just helped me all around as a player and helped my team.”It was a strong start toward atoning for last year’s disaster.Ionescu struggled mightily as the Liberty lost to the Aces in four games in the WNBA finals.She averaged just 9.8 points on woeful 31.6 percent shooting from the field.

In that entire series, Ionescu only made one shot from less than five feet from the basket.As the Liberty look for vengeance, Ionescu has elevated into a completely new player.That ability to collapse defenses opened up space for Stewart to dominate.She scored a game-high 34 points on 12 of 19 shooting from the field along with five r...