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Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty squared off against the Golden State Valkyries at the Chase Center on Wednesday. Making her return from a neck injury, Ionescu suited up for a special homecoming game in her native Bay Area. She was born in Walnut Creek, located in the East Bay region of San Francisco.
Ionescu’s homecoming didn’t unfold as she might have envisioned as the star guard endured her toughest outing of the season. Despite her struggles, the Liberty still managed to pull off a hard-fought 81-78 victory.
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In the end, the Liberty star finished with 11 points on 1-for-11 shooting, including 1-for-7 from deep, and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. She also recorded seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in 29 minutes. Ionescu finished with a plus/minus of +11.
Sabrina Ionescu through 4 quarters vs. Golden State Valkyries
The star point guard had a slow start to the night. Appearing a bit rusty and out of rhythm, Ionescu played the entire first quarter but managed just one point, which came from the free-throw line. She missed all three of her field goal attempts but contributed by dishing out three assists to set up her teammates.
After logging 10 minutes in the first quarter, Sabrina Ionescu began the second on the bench and returned to the floor only in the final four minutes of the period. Unfortunately, her shooting struggles continued as she missed both of her attempts in the second quarter, with none of her shots finding the mark.
At halftime, Ionescu had one point on 0-for-5 shooting, including 0-for-4 from 3-point range. She recorded three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 14 minutes.
It was one of those nights for Ionescu where nothing seemed to go her way, no matter how hard she tried. Her shooting struggles persisted even after the halftime break as she attempted one shot in the third quarter and missed yet again, extending her cold streak.
In the fourth quarter, Ionescu finally broke her cold streak with a made field goal but continued to struggle overall, missing four of her five shot attempts. Her most reliable offensive contribution came from the free-throw line, where she converted all her attempts with precision.
