At halftime Sunday, Sandy Brondello looked at Nyara Sabally to say “be ready for the big lineup.”
The third-year center, who had only played a total of 15 minutes across the Liberty’s semifinal series against the Aces, was what Breanna Stewart termed “the X-factor.”
And Sabally helped deliver the franchise’s first title in the Liberty’s 67-62 Game 5 overtime win over the Lynx.
Sabally had played just 15 minutes in a playoff game in her career, at the most, recorded a playoff-high 17 minutes with 13 points off the bench.
“It really is just the mental preparation of staying ready and being locked in,” Sabally said after becoming a champion. “Knowing whatever minutes you get, that’s what you get, and you need to be ready to go on the floor. Our team has such a high standard, and to be able to live up to that, you have to be mentally ready. Otherwise, you’ll just hurt the team in the long run.
“But with great teammates, it’s kind of easy to just get on the floor and leave it all out there, because my role is pretty simple — run the floor, get rebounds and maybe shoot some buckets.”
She entered the second half with the Liberty trailing by seven, alongside Stewart and eventual WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones. It was a new strategy, based on length for the remainder of the game.
The three had played together on the court for less than 10 minutes total across the Liberty’s season, but by the end of the night they accounted for 43 of the team’s points.
Sabally had back-to-back layups off assists from Sabrina Ionescu, who recorded just five points in the championship game. The buckets gave the Liberty their first lead of the night, 40-38, with three minutes left in the third quarter.
She went on to score nine of her points in the quarter, including going 3-for-4 at the foul line.
“Listen, we were tired. We tried to do whatever we could and we needed a spark and she was that,” Stewart said of Sabally. “So, she just continued to trust the process and we’re so proud of you.”
After Leonie Fiebich knocked down the overtime opening 3-point shot, Sabally followed with a big steal and a layup off a bad pass by the Lynx’s Kayla McBride for a 65-60 Liberty lead.
Sabally, 24, has faced a number of injuries in her early career.
The Liberty drafted her out of Oregon as the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft, even though they knew she was dealing with a right knee injury and would sit out for a season.
“The biggest game of her career and she really rose to the occasion,” Brondello said. “For a young player that says a lot about her. The future is pretty, pretty bright.”