'Mindboggling': Liberty Coach Laments Team's Frustrating Loss to Sky

Two days after the Liberty earned a massive victory over the Lynx, the WNBA's best team this season, they fell to the Sky, one of three teams already eliminated from playoff contention.

The Liberty had a narrow lead over the Sky through three quarters, but Chicago outscored them 26-17 in the final quarter to win the game. It was another frustrating loss for the reigning WNBA champions, who have dropped three of their last four and been up and down since starting off the season 9-0.

"Yeah, we're all pissed off," Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said after the game. "You can't come out and play as well as we did against Minnesota and then come out and not do the same against this team. We've lost to teams down the bottom of the standings. Anyone can beat anyone in this league. Anyone can win this championship, it's wide open, but our inconsistencies are mind-boggling at times. ... We're just riding this big wave of highs and lows."

Jonquel Jones, who led the Liberty with 25 points, echoed her coach's message. "We gotta be more consistent. We can't come off a game like how we played against Minnesota and come and play Chicago and look like a completely team. We've known this for a long time, but everyone's gonna give us their best effort."

The loss holds consequences for the Liberty, who fall to 22-14 and are now a game back of the 23-13 Dream in the Eastern Conference standings. New York will have the opportunity to make up for the loss when they face the Dream on Saturday with a chance to retake the conference lead.

"We have an opportunity to go into Atlanta now and beat them which is a big game for us. We know that," Brondello said. "That's the great challenge for this team. Let's see what we got. ... We believe in these players, we believe in this time, I'm confident we'll turn it around."