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Liberty Fall Below .500, Ionescu and Sabally Out

5/26/2026

30 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

The New York Liberty fell below .500 after an 81-74 loss to Portland.
Sabrina Ionescu did not play and her status remains under monitoring.
Satou Sabally left in the first quarter with illness and was ruled out at halftime.
The loss marked the franchise’s first sub-.500 record since the 2023 season.
Breanna Stewart scored 25 points on 4-of-11 shooting while the team turned the ball over 19 times.

History

Historical Context

Founded in 1997 as one of the WNBA’s original eight teams, the Liberty reached the Finals four times before a 32-8 season in 2023 and a championship in 2024. Joseph Tsai bought the franchise in 2019 and moved it to Brooklyn in 2020. The 81-74 loss and injuries to Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally recall earlier sub-.500 years such as the 7-27 2018 campaign.

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Story summary

The New York Liberty fell below .500 after an 81-74 loss to Portland.
Sabrina Ionescu did not play and her status remains under monitoring.
Satou Sabally left in the first quarter with illness and was ruled out at halftime.
The loss marked the franchise’s first sub-.500 record since the 2023 season.
Breanna Stewart scored 25 points on 4-of-11 shooting while the team turned the ball over 19 times.

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