Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

Sun vs. Liberty: Marina Mabrey’s Double-Double Handover Defending Champions Fourth Consecutive Defeat

Connecticut shot 50% from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

New York Liberty’s poor run continues as the defending champions suffered a 78-62 defeat against the Connecticut Sun in first of the two-game set on Friday night. The Liberty dropped their fourth consecutive game in the regular season. New York are missing its key players due to injuries and it’s showing big impact on their overall performances.

The @ConnecticutSun get the huge upset win over the New York Liberty, 78-62

Marina Mabrey – 18 PTS, 10 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL
Leïla Lacan – 16 PTS, 4 REB#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/x5SDnuiEEI
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 2, 2025

Also Read: Fever vs Wings: Indiana Fever Continue Red-Hot Form, Take Down Dallas Wings to Mark First Fourth Consecutive Win of Season

Injury-Hit Liberty Drop First of the Two-Game Set against Connecticut Sun

The short-handed New York took the opening quarter 20-15 but lost the momentum in the second quarter. The Sun outscored the Liberty 29-17 in the period. Tina Charles beat the buzzer to close the half with a 7-point lead to Sun. Connecticut shot 50% from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

The Sun stretched its lead to double-digit through Mabrey’s 3-pointer with 3:36 left in the third quarter. The Liberty rallied back to make it within seven points again on Stephanie Talbot’s layup shot with 5:08 left. Connecticut outscored New York 14-7 in the tough fourth quarter to secure a big upset win.

The Liberty were missing their star forward, Breanna Stewart, who is recovering from a bone bruise in her right knee. Nyara Sabally (knee) and Kennedy Burke (right calf strain) also missed out. This is the longest losing streak for New York since 2022 when they had a highest losing streak of seven matches. Even in the same year Connecticut Sun secured a home win over New York.

The Liberty lose their fourth straight game tonight against the Sun.

New York has not lost four in a row since 2022 😳 pic.twitter.com/x22lz3H51x
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 2, 2025

Emma Meesseman, the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP, didn’t get a chance to play for Liberty. Sabrina Ionescu led New York with a game-high 23 points and Jonquel Jones added 14.

Marina Mabrey was the star performer for Connecticut with 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Reserves Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Leila Lacan dropped 16 apiece. Tina Charles added 15 in the crucial home win for the Sun, who will face the Liberty again on Sunday. If the Liberty lose again, they might skip to third in the WNBA standings as the Mercury is close to them.

Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

Connecticut Sun

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Gulshan Sharma

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.