Liberty have no time to dwell on ‘inexcusable’ showing with season on the line

Sabrina Ionescu, wearing her warmup jacket, sat next to Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart on Wednesday night as they sat and watched Game 2 come to a tormenting end. 

The benching wasn’t the reward for their labor over the past three quarters but the result of a rout in front of their fans as the Liberty waved the white flag entering the fourth. 

The Mercury delivered a decisive 86-60 blow, which was the Liberty’s most lopsided loss of the season and second-worst playoff defeat in franchise history. 

The Mercury’s success sent the first-round series back to Phoenix for a winner-takes-all Game 3 on Friday and put the reigning champions’ season on the line.