Liberty Stars Shine in USA-Germany Olympic Tune-Up

Seafoam season went international on Tuesday, much to the delight of New York Liberty fans.

Four New Yorkers took the floor in one of the final tune-up games before the women’s basketball tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games gets underway in Paris. Sabrina and Breanna Stewart each put up strong showings for the United States’ national team in London, who pulled away from a German group led by Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally in 84-57 fashion.

Tuesday’s game at The 02 Arena was the final portion of a speedy tune-up process for the Americans, who are going for their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal. The team has been assembled for less than a week since the WNBA embarked on a scheduled hiatus to account for the Paris Games.

Fresh off a heartbreaking result at the WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix over the weekend, Team USA enjoyed strong efforts from headliners Stewart and A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas). Stewart had 15 points, including 13 of the Americans’ 39 tallies in the first half, while Wilson had her double-double by halftime, posting a team-best 19 points and 14 rebounds. Ionescu, on the other hand, helped Team USA put the finishing touches on the win, scoring eight as the red, white, and blue pulled away.

Dissatisfied with their defense on Saturday in Phoenix, where they allowed 117 points to a squad of other WNBA All-Stars, the Americans allowed Germany to shoot less than 30 percent from the field.

Despite the one-sided final, the Germans did put up a respectable effort, eating away at several American attempts to pull away before the bottom fell out in the second half. Fiebich scored 12, primarily through a 4-of-10 mark from three-point range while Sabally fell one point short of a double-double, as she paced Deutschland with 10 boards while primarily matched with MVP favorite Wilson.

A rematch between the Americans and Germans awaits on Aug. 4, a showdown that will serve as the group play finale for each nation.

In the meantime, Team USA tips off group play on Monday afternoon, squaring off against Japan in its opener (3 p.m. ET, USA). It’ll be a rematch of the gold medal game from the 2020 Olympics, which saw Stewart fall five assists short of a triple-double in a 90-75 win.

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