Sabrina Ionescu rolls ankle as Liberty lose third straight

The Liberty lose their third straight game Friday night, being bested by the Atlanta Dream, 87-78, but the worse news was that rookie sensation Sabrina Ionescu rolled her ankle in the second quarter and had to be taken from the WNBA “wubble” to a local hospital in Bradenton.

An X-Ray showed there was no break, Shams Charania revealed post-game, but there’s no word on an MRI which would show the extent of any soft-tissue injury.

“I just know [it’s] a sprain, and she’s getting it looked at right now,” Liberty coach Walt Hopkins said after the loss.

Ionescu stepped on the foot of Atlanta’s Betnijah Laney while bringing the ball upcourt with five minutes and 10 seconds left in the hald. After scoring 33 points two nights earlier, Ionescu had already racked up 10 on 4-of-5 shooting when she was forced to leave, being helped off the court by teammates.

As LeBron James noted in a tweet...

Ionescu is the second Liberty guard to go down with an ankle sprain. Two nights ago, Kia Nurse, the Canadian sharpshooter also had to be taken to the locker room.

Although Ionescu left the “wubble” for medical attention, she will not have to re-quarantine on her return, ESPN W reported...

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who is in the league bubble, said during a conference call July 22 that a so-called “clean corridor” had been set up in advance as part of the protocol regarding an injury that might require an X-ray or an MRI. Thus, a player could go to the hospital to receive care there without having to then go back into quarantine when returning to the WNBA’s campus.

As for the game, Jazmine Jones, another of the Liberty’s seven rookies, stepped up. Jones, drafted out of Louisville, had 20 points to lead the Liberty, and Layshia Clarendon had 16. Jones played much of the game at point guard Friday, a position she said she hadn’t played since high school.

The Liberty play again on Sunday afternoon vs. the Phoenix Mercury.

• Sabrina Ionescu exits with ankle injury as Liberty await word on severity - Mechelle Voepel - ESPN W
• Liberty rookie Sabrina Ionescu injures ankle against Dream - AP
• New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu leaves game after ankle injury - Jill Martin - CNN
• Sabrina Ionescu injury update: Liberty star carried off floor after ugly ankle sprain - Jordan Greer - Sporting News
• Layshia Clarendon doesn’t have to do all the playmaking for the Liberty, but she’s by far their most experienced player - Sarah Valenzuela - New York Daily News