Chris DeMarco gives brutally honest Satou Sabally review after Liberty debut

New York coach Chris DeMarco said the team expected an adjustment period for Satou Sabally after the forward made her season debut with the Liberty Thursday night in an 87-70 loss to the Golden State Valkyries.

Sabally, one of New York’s biggest offseason additions, played her first game since suffering a concussion during Game 3 of last season’s WNBA Finals while with Phoenix. She finished with five points in nearly 16 1/2 minutes as the Liberty struggled offensively against Golden State.

“It’s hard. She hasn’t played since she was injured, so we knew there’d be an integration period where we’d need to get her comfortable,” DeMarco said of Sabally, per Geoff Magliocchetti of Ball is Life, via Myles Ehrlich on X, formerly Twitter. “She gave us 16 minutes. There were ups and downs, but her body of work is there. We know what she can bring.”

New York entered the game averaging a league-best 100 points through its first four games but shot just 6-for-24 from 3-point range and trailed for most of the night.

Golden State took control early on, leading 18-9 midway through the first quarter before extending the advantage to eight points by halftime. The Valkyries pushed the lead to 63-46 after three quarters and kept New York from mounting a serious comeback in the fourth.

Gabby Williams led Golden State attack with 16 points, while five Valkyries players finished in double figures as the second-year franchise improved to 3-1.

Breanna Stewart scored 18 points for New York, and Jonquel Jones added 16.

The Liberty were also without starters Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. Ionescu has yet to play during the regular season after suffering a foot injury in the preseason, while Laney-Hamilton was unavailable for personal reasons, as reported by Doug Feinberg of The Associated Press. Leonie Fiebich and Raquel Carrera also remain overseas finishing commitments in Spain.

New York will return home Sunday to host Dallas, while Golden State visits Indiana on Friday.

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