The former Oregon Ducks star Sabrina Ionescu has cemented herself as one of the better three-point shooters in the league. She only added on to it during her 2024 playoff run. In her 39 minutes of gameplay, the New York Liberty star scored an impressive 36 points, shooting 5 of 11 from three-point range against the Atlanta Dream. This marked a 91-82 win for the Liberty, advancing them to the semifinals. But it also brought a personal record for Ionescu in her skill well appreciated.

With a sharp 45.5% shooting accuracy in Tuesday’s game, Ionescu tied with legend Maya Moore. According to NYL stats, she became the only player after Moore to record at least one three-pointer in her last 16 playoff games. Until now, the fifth-longest such streak in league postseason history was held only by Moore.

However, this isn’t the only record she shattered during the September 24th game. With her 35+ points, 5+ three-pointers, and 5+ assists in a playoff game, she tied the Liberty’s playoff record held by Cappie Pondexter. Additionally, her 36 points were also a career high. It looks like the first game against the Dream was fuel, and the second was an illustrious opportunity.

She only played 26 minutes on the court but still managed to grab 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in the last game. Seems like, ‘to stay on the court, you need to be impressive’ in Liberty. But did you know Ionescu declared the matchup’s fate beforehand?

Sabrina Ionescu led Liberty’s dangerous offense today

Earlier today, Ionescu revealed that she expected Game 2 to be tougher than Game 1, wherein the Liberty had never trailed and cruised to a 14-point win. “We don’t want to go to Atlanta… That’s not something we want to do,” she said. And she was right, as the Dream played with renewed urgency.

Backing that up, Tanisha Wright-led Dream appeared dominant on the court. The team’s all-star guard, Allisha Gray made her first five shots as the clock ticked down the first few seconds of the opening quarter, but Saby went off. By the end of the first half, Ionescu had dished out seven assists and scored 13 impressive points, trimming the Dream’s nine-point first-quarter lead.

At one point, she even hit nine consecutive points for New York, flipping a three-point deficit into a two-point lead. Impressive, right? Even the audience felt it, especially when she waved to the crowd for a little celebration. On the other hand, Jonquel Jones was no less impressive, grabbing 13 rebounds to lead her team and surpass Lisa Leslie for the 5th-most double-doubles in WNBA postseason history with 20 points.

Though Stewie seemed a bit off today, going scoreless from 6:13 of the second quarter to 4:27 of the fourth quarter, Ionescu and Jones covered for it.