The return of Leonie Fiebich guided the New York Liberty to a significant victory.
Leonie Fiebich’s return to motion was merely wunderbar for the New York Liberty.
There was no safety from zee German for the Indiana Fever on Saturday evening, as Fiebich, having missed over a month with a foot damage, took the ground for the primary time since July 3 within the anticipated conflict of Japanese Convention powers. A 20-point efficiency accompanied by 5 assists and rebounds every guided New York to a 109-102 victory in entrance of a packed home at Barclays Heart.
It is the most recent twist of a rollercoaster season for New York (23-15), which sits sixth on the present WNBA leaderboard getting into this week.
„It felt like she was impacting the sport in so many alternative areas,“ stated Jonquel Jones, who had 19 factors and 10 rebounds within the win. „Even in areas that weren’t on the statsheet [like] choosing up full-court, being aggressive defensively, serving to us set the tone defensively. I believe it was an all-around recreation for her. I can not actually pinpoint one factor that I might take into account she did the most effective as a result of she actually simply did every part at a excessive degree tonight.“
Fie Throes
Fiebich was instantly granted her spot again within the New York beginning lineup and made her presence felt from the get-go: after New York failed to attain off the tip, she engaged rebounder Aliyah Boston in a full-court press that stifled early Indiana offensive momentum.
Whereas the Liberty struggled to take care of such defensive work (letting Indiana shoot 57 and 42% from the sphere and from three respectively), Fiebich caused noticeable modifications to the metropolitan field rating. The Liberty’s assist-to-turnover ratio was a fair two after the primary half they usually had assists on 14 of their first 19 profitable discipline objectives, a proportion of just below 74. Each numbers would high the league after they ranked seventh and thirteenth within the respective classes within the month-plus span that Fiebich missed.
The renewed ball motion below Fiebich was current within the closing Liberty tallies: all 5 starters scored a minimum of eight factors and 6 totally different New York girls had a minimum of six within the second half.
Second Half Spark
Fiebich was much more offensive within the second half, scoring all however six of factors within the latter 20. No two had been extra emphatic than a pair within the penultimate minute of the third quarter when the almost-eternally stoic Fiebich set free a short however bellowing yell after incomes an and-one on a drive that yielded a Mikayla Timpson foul.
LEONIE FIEBICH AND ONE pic.twitter.com/lgaP9cc2ad
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) August 23, 2026
Fiebich admitted that her de facto outburst happens extra usually in a nationwide setting, reasoning that Brooklyn carries sufficient „emotional gamers“ to boost the quantity. The show of emotion was sufficient to place the de facto crowd virtually evenly divided between New Yorkers and well-traveled Fever supporters firmly on the internet hosting facet.
„I do not know what occurred there. It would not occur usually,“ Fiebich stated with a smile. „It was only a a pure response. I used to be actually pleased it was going nicely for us. I felt like we would have liked a little bit little bit of power, so I simply let it out.“
„It [stinks] to not be on the courtroom and to have to observe. I used to be struggling loads the final week so it was good to really be on the courtroom and assist the crew. That is all I need to do, so I used to be actually pleased I might try this at this time … I knew that I wished to have an effect defensively as a result of that is what we want and simply assist the crew in no matter method.“
Dab From Sab, Spark From Clark
Coming with sizable momentum by itself facet as winners of 5 of seven, Indiana knew it had a brand new problem to cope with as soon as it noticed that Fiebich would take the ground.
„She would not get sufficient credit score for what she does defensively,“ Fever star Caitlin Clark stated of Fiebich within the prelude. „Makes a variety of pictures for them and areas the ground very well. She’s 6-3, she’s lengthy, she’s athletic, she will guard, she simply makes the best basketball performs. She’s clean and I am large fan of her recreation.“
Even Fiebich’s errors had been metropolitan godsends on Saturday: again on the line for one more and-one, Fiebich rebounded her personal miss that helped eat clock with a three-point lead. Although the Liberty failed to increase the lead, Fiebich’s protection on a possible Clark slicer allowed her to safe one other board, one which allowed New York to earn line-covering singles on the foul line and seal the deal.
Leonie Fiebich had a huge effect on each ends of the ground for the New York Liberty on Saturday, particularly in opposition to Caitlin Clark!
🏀Clark was 2-7 (29%) with Fiebich as her main defender🏀Fiebich scored 8 factors on 3-4 capturing with Clark as her main defender🏀Scored or… pic.twitter.com/cgjjCDvMF4
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) August 23, 2026
The Fiebich impact was no shock to Ionescu, who has been each benefitted and utilized her German engineering. New York improved to 26-6 all-time when Fiebich scores a minimum of a dozen factors, an output that features the clinching recreation of the 2024 WNBA Finals throughout her official rookie season.
„(Fiebich) has put a variety of work in and continued to be actually vocal,“ stated Sabrina Ionescu, she of 12 Saturday factors, all however two within the second half. „She was in a position to watch the sport and be taught from the sideline, and proceed to be a very large voice for us as a result of that is what we want. She’s sort of a vet now on this crew and I am actually simply pleased with her means to come back in and sort of choose up the place she left off and be tremendous aggressive.“
Seafoam Assertion
The Liberty have rendered a 13-12 begin largely forgotten with wins in 10 of their most up-to-date 13.
However it’d be secure to say that the stretch wasn’t going to impress a hypothetical playoff choice committee: all two of the prior 9 wins got here in opposition to groups now eradicated from the playoff image. The pair of outliers additionally had asterisks, as they defeated Paige Bueckers-less Dallas in extra time and crushed a Las Vegas group resting its main girls by 40 at dwelling.
Matching each offensive blow of the potent Fever, although, has the potential to make a press release, particularly with the jam-packed nature of the second standings tier. Reasonably than the remainder of the league, essentially the most vocal results may very well be felt inside metropolis limits.
Retaining It Rolling
„I believe it was extra one thing for ourselves. It was a very large win that in opposition to a very good crew, the place we did it the best method,“ stated Rebecca Allen, who serviceably held Fiebich’s beginning 5 function in the course of the damage. „I believe we received the best method with how we performed protection, how we moved the ball offensively. There’s some actually, I believed, lovely moments offensively the place the ball was simply flying round. We’re discovering good to nice pictures, and that is what I believe it made it such a enjoyable recreation at this time.“
And to all, a goodnight 👏 pic.twitter.com/mijD0vJYfk
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) August 23, 2026
„Clearly what it means within the standings, and to everybody else, that is that is as much as them. That is very subjective,“ Ionescu famous. „We perceive what this implies for us, and that is how we need to play each single evening … I believe you noticed togetherness. Everybody had actually, actually impactful minutes, whether or not you are scoring, passing, getting stops.“
„We performed collectively basketball tonight. I believe that is one thing that we have to proceed to to choose up each single time that we play. That is the extent that we acquired to come back out and play with as a result of that is what it means to to play right here.“
The Liberty have a harmful, if not affluent, likelihood to maintain the momentum rolling on Thursday evening once they search to keep away from a season sweep by the hands of the Golden State Valkyries (8 p.m. ET, Prime Video).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
