The Oregon community knows how to throw a homecoming party for their favorite Duck alumni. On Monday, it was Nyara Sabally and Sabrina Ionescu who the fans welcomed back to Eugene.
The second and last preseason game for the New York Liberty was chosen to be held at Matthew Knight Arena, the place that helped make not only Ionescu who she is, but the program that Ionescu helped make what it is. The welcome back was special, ending in an 84-61 victory for the Liberty.
“I was kind of surprised,” Ionescu said. “I knew people would show up, that's just what Ducks do is they continue to believe and support you throughout your career. I just had no idea that this would be a sell-out crowd…I got emotional when I just started looking around the arena and saw every single seat taken. This is something in my career that I'll never forget, being able to come back and play a game at the University of Oregon.”
The sold-out crowd welcomed back Ionescu with some of the loudest cheers that have been heard in that arena in a long time. Fans were excited to watch Ionescu, Sabally and the New York Liberty take on the Toyota Antelopes in a ‘farewell’ game that Ionescu never got to have because of her senior season being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spirit of the return, the team put on a show.
Sabally, who was a member of the Oregon women’s basketball program from 2019-2022, put the Liberty on the board first with a foul shot, much to the crowd’s liking. Just over two minutes later, a jump shot from Ionescu got the crowd back on their feet immediately.
Ionescu ended the night in similar fashion to how her college games ended: with 25 points, 66.7% shooting from the 3-point line, and went 8-for-13 for field goals. Sabally contributed seven points, including four points in the last two minutes, to give the Liberty some insurance. She also tacked on six rebounds.
Throughout the first half, the game was kept close for periods of time, including a two-minute period when the Antelopes had a lead over the Liberty. Toyota guard Maika Miura and small forward Mana Kaneda were just two of the players who made it a difficult night for the Liberty defense, combining for 26 points overall.
“They battled the entire game. They were shooting the ball really well,” Ionescu said. “They were rebounding better than us, and they did a lot of things that exposed us that we're probably going to have to go back and watch film on how we can be better.”
The Liberty headed into halftime up 43-37, largely in part due to All-Star forward Breanna Stewart. Her threat in the midrange was shown through her 77% accuracy from the floor, and overall 16 points through just 15 minutes of play.
The team seemingly took the halftime break to regroup and came out running a transition offense up the floor, which is how a majority of their points would be scored in the first six minutes of the game.
The newly acquired Natasha Cloud took advantage of her time at the point guard position. She helped create a fast-paced Liberty offense when it was not off a breakaway, pushing the pace regardless of the situation.
An assist to Ionescu past the 3-point line gave her six on the night with just over six minutes left to play in the half, and an offensive set that had all five players on the court touch the ball finished with an easy layup from Marine Johannes and was orchestrated by Cloud herself.
The tradition of ‘Shout’ brought back another tradition to the court: Ionescu’s insane accuracy from beyond the arc. Right off the bat, she connected with back-to-back shots to score six points in the first fifty-four seconds of the fourth quarter, followed by a shifty jumpshot to make it eight.
“There's nothing quite like the energy in the arena when ‘Shout’ goes on,” Ionescu said. “It kind of reels you back into being like ‘it's go time, it's time to lock in.’ That's kind of why I smiled right after I hit that shot, because it was just kind of reminiscent of how it was when I was in college here and that song played.”
Marquesha Davis brought a defensive spark under the basket, with a block underneath that contributed to a near shot clock violation, and a turnover caused by Rebekah Gardner led to the loudest Matthew Knight Arena had been in a while. Gardner was able to find Ionescu the ball outside the arc, leading to her sixth 3-pointer of the night. With a timeout immediately after, Ionescu received a standing ovation as she exited the game one last time.
“It's very special. What a great arena to play in…It just shows how much they love her here and how much she loves them,” head coach Sandy Brondello said. “She never disappoints. She loves the moment. She wanted to do so well, so it's a great ending for her to finish as strong as she did and kept her under 25 minutes. That was the goal.”
Sabally made her way back onto the court, and with a putback layup off of Jaylyn Sherrod’s foul shot. Sabally ended her night with seven points and a roaring crowd showing support for the former Duck.
The New York Liberty capped off their preseason with a 23-point win against the Toyota Antelopes, but for Ionescu, it wasn’t just the game that felt like a win: it was the whole trip.
“Both of us were able to be here during that time when we played Team USA in one year in front of a sellout crowd, and now being able to be here tonight, to come back and play at the University of Oregon — the university that has helped us get to where we're at,” Ionescu said. “I think that's what makes Oregon so special, is the community and the relationships that you're able to build here.”