New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu fell into an awful slump in the first weeks of the season as she struggled in her return from a foot injury. She heard all the negativity, including being called washed.

But she never folded. She stayed the course. She continued to trust herself. Eventually, she regained her form and helped the Liberty squeeze into the playoffs.

On Tuesday, they swept the Minnesota Lynx in the first round and made history by becoming the first No. 8 seed to eliminate the No. 1 seed. Ionescu had 18 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.

In the postgame interview, the 28-year-old guard shared their defiant mindset.

“We know we're not a traditional eighth seed. We understand once the playoffs come, it’s a new season, and we gotta do what we gotta do to come out, turn the page, and be the best team we can be,” said Ionescu.

“We understood the job was not finished. We had to come out, we had to finish this series, and now gotta go on to the next (round) and do the exact same thing.”

“We know we’re not a traditional 8 seed. We understand once the playoffs come, it’s a new season… we have more to do.”

A roller-coaster season, but New York’s belief never left 🗽

Sabrina Ionescu on what Barclays means to this group and why the Liberty aren’t done yet ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/oKQLLlt3jj

— USA Sports (@usasports) September 30, 2026

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The four-time All-Star also tipped her hat to the home crowd for giving them the energy to close out the Lynx and for sticking with them despite the challenges.

“It's meant everything for us. The entire season, obviously, it's been a roller coaster, but we wouldn't be here without you guys, and we have more to do,” stated Ionescu, who helped the Liberty win their first title in 2024.

Coach Chris DeMarco lauded his players for overcoming the obstacles, including initial chemistry problems and a season-ending injury to Satou Sabally.

The Liberty will face the winner between the Atlanta Dream and the Washington Mystics in the semifinals, and Ionescu is fired up to leap over more hurdles.

“Anything can happen in the playoffs. People have counted us out, but we haven't counted ourselves out,” added Ionescu.