The lights at Matthew Knight Arena dimmed, and the sellout crowd listened intently as the New York Liberty’s starters were announced.
Finally, the last two starters were revealed: Nyara Sabally, Oregon and Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon. The fans in unison cheered perhaps louder than the arena had witnessed since the pair played for an Oregon women’s basketball team years prior that won Pac-12 Championships and secured a Final Four appearance in 2019.
The duo made their long-awaited homecoming as the WNBA defending champion New York Liberty faced off against the Toyota Antelopes of the Japan Women’s Basketball League. New York’s final preseason tuneup on Monday ended in an 84-61 victory.
“I got emotional before the game and the buzzer went off and I just kind of started looking around the arena and saw every single seat taken,” Ionescu said. “ I kind of was looking at all the areas that I used to when I sat there, getting ready for an Oregon game, and I kind of got teary-eyed.”
The Liberty seemingly began the game with an emphasis on getting the two former Ducks on the board early. Sabally recorded her squad’s first point at the free throw stripe to the crowd’s pleasure. She finished with seven points, five rebounds and the team was plus-15 with Sabally on the floor.
“This is a very special one for me,” Sabally said about where this game ranks for her at Matthew Knight Arena. “It’s a separate category because this is like with a whole different team, but it ranks pretty high, just being able to come back here and experience that with the crowd.”
The fans went into another frenzy once Ionescu drained her first 3-pointer of the game with 5:56 left in the first quarter.
Ionescu never got the opportunity to play one last game at Matthew Knight Arena in an Oregon jersey. Her senior season with the Ducks ended with the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament — which Oregon was expected to host first and second-round games — due to COVID-19.
A little over five years later, she received one last hurrah in front of Ducks fans — this time in a seafoam Liberty jersey. Ionescu ended with 25 points on 8-for-13 from the field.
“The reception that she had from start of warm ups, it just shows how much they love her here and how much she loves them,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said. “She never disappoints. She loves the moment. I suppose a little nervous coming back. She wanted to do so well, so it’s a great ending for her to finish as strong as she did.”
While it was a special homecoming for Ionescu and Sabally, it was another opportunity for the Antelopes to bring attention to Japanese women’s basketball. Toyota stayed well within striking distance, only trailing by two at the end of the first.
The Antelopes hit nine first-half triples, but Breanna Stewart, Marine Johannès and Ionescu combined for 32 of the Liberty’s 43 points heading into the locker room.
New York came out of halftime with the necessary adjustments to gain separation. It was Ionescu who gifted the team the double-digit advantage with a deep 3-pointer that was at the bottom of the Oregon center court logo.
“I didn’t really realize how far it was, but I think just playing into the energy,” Ionescu said. “Figured I might as well shoot one like I used to back when I was here, and thankful it went in and the crowd erupted.”
Ionescu continued to catch fire entering the fourth. The final period started with back-to-back 3’s by the Duck grad. She drilled her sixth triple of the game before the Antelopes took a timeout, and she waved to the crowd’s ovation, checking out for the final time.
“This was just a thank you. This wasn’t any type of celebration for me,” Ionescu said. “I think it was just me wanting to celebrate the University of Oregon and what it’s done for me in my career.”
The Liberty are set to tip off their season on May 17 against the Las Vegas Aces and receive their 2024 Championship rings.
