- Just one game into the WNBA season, Sabrina Ionescu is already on a tear for the New York Liberty.
- The 2020 No. 1 pick hit a dazzling, game-winning three in her first home game in New York City.
- She finished with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 11 assists – two boards shy of a triple-double.
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Sabrina Ionescu has wasted no time taking New York City by storm.
The Liberty star drained an off-balance, dazzling three with less than a second on the clock to lift her squad past the Indiana Fever in her first WNBA game in New York. And she had a simple explanation for why she came up big in the pressure-packed moment:
"I wanted it," Ionescu said.
AP Photo/Adam Hunger
Ionescu had an incredible game even before she hit the game-winner for her squad. With 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 11 assists in the contest, the 5-foot-11 guard was just four rebounds shy of a triple double. And though she accrued more triple-doubles than any other player, man or woman, in NCAA history during her time as an Oregon Ducks superstar, she's yet to record one in the WNBA.
To be fair, it's just her fourth game in the pros.
Ionescu's head coach - Walt Hopkins - was elated to see his young star excel on the Liberty's home court at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. During his postgame press conference, Hopkins gushed about watching Ionescu bring the same intensity in practice that came through for his team during their 2021 season debut.
"She has a pretty special way of rising to the moment," Hopkins said. "Those big-time situations is where she really shines. It's what she lives for."
"I'm pretty excited that she's on my team," he added.
Check out Ionescu's incredible game-winner below: