Basketball: Fiebich and Sabally one win away from the title
One more win and Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally are champions in the WNBA at the end of a fairytale season. Thanks to an enormous display of will, the New York Liberty overcame a 15-point deficit and won the third final duel with the Minnesota Lynx 80:77. Sabrina Ionescu scored the decisive basket with a three-pointer from a long distance with one second left. She finished the game with 13 points, just as many as Fiebich, who again played well and had to endure a lot in Minneapolis. More than once she lay on the hall floor after hard collisions and had to get herself up.
“I let the clock run down and I threw,” Ionescu said after silencing the 19,521 spectators almost entirely. “But we won’t win this game without Stewie. The throw was nice. But what she did today: she brought us back with her will.” Stewart scored 22 of the 45 Liberty points in the second half and finished with 30 points. Nyara Sabally finished the game with 4 points.
In the best-of-five series, the Liberty are now ahead with 2-1 wins and can secure the first title in their history on Saturday night. New York Liberty is in the final of the best women’s basketball league in the world for the fifth time, but has always lost. Last year the Las Vegas Aces were better. For Fiebich and Sabally, after a strong season in the WNBA and the Olympic premiere with the German national team, it would be the culmination of an outstanding year.
In contrast to the first two games in New York, the Liberty immediately fell behind and were already ten points behind after the 18:28 first quarter. Above all, Sabally’s energy helped the team to get back into the game a bit before the break. Nevertheless, the guests did not seem nearly as dominant as in the two games in front of their own crowd in New York. They had a double-digit lead at times, but gave up the first game. This time it was the other way around. With 91 seconds left, the guests took the lead at 74:73. The Lynx equalized again at 77:77 with 16 seconds left – then Ionescu hit the three-pointer to win.
For the last time this year, three wins are enough to win the title. Starting next season, the final series will be played in best-of-seven mode, like in the NBA. If there is a fifth game, the Liberty will be hosts again. They finished the main round as the best team ahead of the Lynx, who could become the WNBA’s sole record winner with their fifth title.
Ice hockey: Peterka’s double pack is not enough to win
John-Jason Peterka scores twice – and is still disappointed: The Buffalo Sabers suffered a defeat in the NHL despite a strong performance by the German national player. The team from New York State lost 5-6 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Top star Sidney Crosby scored the decisive goal in extra time, celebrating his 1,600th point in the North American professional league.
Peterka, who suffered a concussion on the Sabres’ European tour, made an impressive return. The 22-year-old from Munich scored to make it 3:1 and 4:4.
“Of course I was really happy to play again,” said Peterka: “With concussions, it’s always good to get a few extra days. On the one hand, of course, it was frustrating. But on the other hand, I knew that the season was long and I would rather miss one or two more games than half the season.”
Basketball: Ulm sells expensively in Portland
Ratiopharm Ulm sold itself dearly during its historic appearance on the NBA floor. The 2023 German basketball champion lost in a test game to the Portland Trail Blazers 100:111 (45:61). Coach Ty Harrelson’s team from Ulm were the first German team to take part in the preseason of the elite league on US soil.
The Bundesliga club’s best scorers were the highly talented Noa Essengue and Ben Saraf, who have long since attracted the interest of NBA scouts. The 17-year-old Frenchman Essengue scored 20 points, the Israeli Saraf, who was a year older, scored 16 points. Portland had its best thrower in Scoot Henderson with 23 points.
Ulm had been invited by Portland and had undertaken the almost 16,000 kilometers and nine-hour time difference in the middle of the season. After the final siren, the team had almost 60 hours to cross the Atlantic – and return to everyday Bundesliga life in Oldenburg on Saturday evening.
