Liberty Stand By Injured Star

BROOKYLN — It would’ve taken a lot to silence the 15,393 gathered at Barclays Center for the WNBA Finals rematch between the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces. The unfortunate realization came during the opening stages of a thrilling final period.

Trying to hold onto to a dwindling fourth quarter lead against the Aces, the Liberty endured a loss before the final buzzer when Betnijah Laney-Hamilton fell to the ground in pain after making contact with streaking teammate Jonquel Jones on a drive. As New York tried to prevent Las Vegas from capitalizing on the resulting turnover, Laney-Hamilton remained on the other end, holding the right knee that underwent a procedure earlier this season.

Normal volumes were soon restored on Atlantic Avenue: Laney-Hamilton walked, albeit gingerly, to the Liberty bench and New York eventually eked out a 75-71 victory that secured a vengeful regular season sweep over the team that bested in the WNBA Finals last fall. A near-collapse and uncertainty around Laney-Hamilton’s absence, however, made for a somber postgame.

“She was in the locker room, we’re just praying that she’ll be okay,” head coach Sandy Brondello said. “She got hit pretty hard. So let’s see what the doc says. She’s getting evaluated again now.”

Laney-Hamilton is one of the lasting building blocks from the Liberty’s path to their current state of contention, joining the team in 2021 after a breakout campaign with the Indiana Fever in the Bradenton bubble. In New York, she has established herself as one of the top two-way players in the modern Association. Injuries limited her to nine games in her second Brooklyn season but she returned to play all 40 en route to last season’s WNBA Finals. In the process, she averaged 12.8 points and earned second-team All-Defensive honors.

Now New York, eager to atone for last season’s championship shortcomings, holds its breath as Laney-Hamilton’s status is branded with a question mark. This season has been cruel to Laney-Hamilton, who missed over a month after the prior procedure though most of that fell by the wayside due to the simultaneous All-Star/Olympic break.

Laney-Hamilton returned to action at the end of last month and her impact was apparent from the get-go: of note, she was a plus-26 in relief during New York’s 98-85 win over the Seattle Storm on Aug. 30. Sunday’s game was her second back in the starting five, taking back over for rookie sensation Leonie Fiebich.

“I think what she gives us is that defensive presence,” Brondello said in the lead-up to Las Vegas’ visit. “She’s great, she’s got that physicality. She gives us another playmaker, which we want to continue to explore as we move forward … the ball (has been) in her hand a little bit more so she can initiate some of our offense. I think that’s good for us. She’s another player we can but the ball in on the block.”

Laney-Hamilton’s impact was noticeable in her absence: as she nursed her knee on the other end, Las Vegas hit a three that shrank a Liberty lead to five. The Aces outscored New York 20-11 in a mostly Laney-less final period but the Liberty created just enough separation to earn the season sweep over the defending champions.

There’s no doubt, however, that the floodgates could’ve been stemmed by Laney-Hamilton’s unique skillset: Laney-Hamilton’s fourth quarter defensive rating (84.8) among women with a minimum of 20 games and five minutes played is second-best to only teammate Courtney Vandersloot. Her net rating of 23.9 in second in the same genre, again trailing only Vandersloot.

Breanna Stewart, earner of a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double, knew there was no better way to honor Laney-Hamilton’s memory than securing a big win: true to form, New York (29-6) kept Vegas off the scoreboard for the final 1:54 to obtain the victory.

“To see anyone go down like that, there’s concern,” Stewart said. “We know what she wants us to do is focus and win this game. That was really the mentality. (Kayla Thornton) game in and gave us the same energy. Injuries are tough and hopefully she’s okay.”

“It didn’t look fun, it didn’t look good. But she’s strong. She’s dealt with this,” Sabrina Ionescu added. “She’s always been able to bounce back. We don’t think it’s anything too serious, so we’re just wrapping our arms around her.”

Monday should offer the most telling update on Laney-Hamilton yet, as New York returns to action on Tuesday night against the Dallas Wings (8 p.m. ET, CBSSN).

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