Liberty hit the road after perfect homestand

The New York Liberty will take their “Superteam” on the road after completing a perfect three-game homestand at Downtown’s Barclays Center this past weekend.

“Now, off to Chicago. It’s another opportunity to go in there and play well,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said after Sunday’s 104-68 rout of rookie phenom Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in front of a sellout crowd of 17,401 paying customers on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush.

New York (7-2) will open its trip against the Sky (3-4) at Wintrust Arena Tuesday night, kicking off a stretch of three games in five days that also includes a visit to Atlanta Thursday and Connecticut Saturday before returning to Brooklyn to host Washington on Sunday.

“You want to win as much as you can. It was good (to rest some players),” Brondello said after Sunday’s blowout victory afforded her the opportunity to give her starters a breather in the fourth quarter.

“Really happy for the win,” Brondello added.

So was forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who had her best game of the season on both ends of the floor Sunday as New York officially began defense of its Commissioners’ Cup title from 2023.

She scored a season-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including her 2,000th career point, while draining all five of her free throws and handed out five assists while picking up a pair of steals.

“Extremely proud of her every day,” Brondello said of the 6-foot Rutgers alum. “She plays hard and always has to guard the best player on the other team every single game.

Laney-Hamilton did her best work against Clark, who suffered through a putrid 1-of-10 shooting performance and committed a team high-tying three turnovers with New York’s top defender in her face.

“B just made big play after big play. … I keep saying she should be defensive player of the year for what she does for this team.”

“I look at it as more of a chess match,” Laney-Hamilton added of her stifling of Clark, who is averaging 15.6 points per game as a first-year pro.

While beating Indiana (2-9) for the third time in as many weeks, the Liberty showed off their firepower.

Laney-Hamilton led five New York scorers in double figures in scoring, including an 18-point, 13-rebound effort from double-double machine Jonquel Jones.

The 2021 WNBA Most Valuable Player went 8-of-11 from the floor, blocked a shot, had two steals and even piled up four assists, giving her 2.6 helpers per contest through nine games.

That’s her highest average since she was in Connecticut during her MVP campaign.

“People are coming hard and making themselves available,” Jones said of her passing ability.

All-Star Sabrina Ionescu poured in 16 points, reigning MVP Breanna Stewart added 13 and free-agent acquisition Kennedy Burke broke through with a season-high 10 points off the bench for New York, which will try to match its longest winning streak of the year in Chicago.

“We’ve got attack from multiple spots here. … The offense is fine,” noted Brondello. “We’re just trying to work out the clinks.”

So are the Sky, who have lost three of their last four games, including Saturday’s 71-70 defeat to the Fever.

Marina Mabrey scored 15 points and rookie Angel Reese had eight points and 13 rebounds for Chicago in her much-anticipated showdown with Clark.

The Liberty were sunk by the Sky in Brooklyn on May 23 as Mabrey put up 21 points and handed out seven assists and Reese added 13 points and nine boards.

Former Liberty legend Teresa Weatherspoon, Chicago’s first-year head coach, enjoyed the atmosphere at Barclays that night.

“I’m going to show my love for them and show my appreciation to everyone in New York City,” she said. “I hope you see this and know I love you all very much from the bottom of my heart, me and my family.”

Tip-off for the rematch in the Windy City is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

“We’ll keep getting better. New challenges come every day,” said Brondello. “Let’s be consistent. That was our theme for the week.”

GIVE ME LIBERTY: Ionescu has hit at least one 3-pointer in 34 consecutive games, the longest current streak in the WNBA. If she hits one Tuesday night in Chicago, she will tie Shameka Christon for the longest streak in franchise history. .. New York won four in a row to begin this much-anticipated “Run it Back in 2024” campaign. … New York announced Monday that it was launching Liberty Live, its first direct-to-consumer streaming platform. The Liberty are increasing their broadcast reach, allowing fans to stream the team’s locally televised games through Liberty Live this season beginning with Tuesday’s game in Chicago, according to a team-issued release. “’Liberty Live’ is the culmination of our business focus to expand distribution rights, while also leveraging technology to enhance the overall fan experience,” said New York CEO Keia Clarke. “’Liberty Live’ furthers our commitment to increasing accessibility, and we are proud to be one of the first teams in the league to develop a direct-to-consumer streaming platform, ensuring our fans have ample availability to watch Liberty games this season.” Liberty Live will be available to fans for $4.99 a month. To learn more and register for Liberty Live please visit watchlibertylive.com.