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The 2019 WNBA preseason began on Thursday, May 9, with the New York Liberty taking the court in an exhibition against the Chinese National Team. 14 more preseason contests featuring all 12 WNBA teams will follow over the next two weeks.
The game’s scoring was started by a former member of the Chinese National Team, New York Liberty rookie center Han Xu. Xu was the second-round pick of the Liberty in this year’s draft, and a smooth spin-move counted for her first unofficial WNBA bucket.
The Chinese National Team went on a late second-quarter run to take a 42-36 run into the halftime locker room but New York’s depth and talent emerged in the second half, outscoring the Chinese 53-29 the rest of the way to claim the 89-71 victory at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Xu would finish with 19 points against her countrywomen, a tally matched by Liberty guard Kia Nurse. New York center Avery Warley-Talbert led the Liberty in rebounds with eight while New York guard Brittany Boyd recorded four assists to lead her team in that category. As a team, the Liberty shot just under 47 percent from the field (30/64) including going 3-for-12 from behind the arc. New York outrebounded the Chinese 36-25 and had 20 assists to 15 turnovers.
It was a true preseason game, as 14 current members of the Liberty saw at least six minutes on the court during the game. One thing New York will need to work on in order to nab a playoff spot this season is their conversion from the foul line. The Liberty shot just over 74 percent as a team in the obviously extremely small sample. New York did an excellent job of getting to the charity stripe, however, attempting 36 free throws in the game.
The Liberty’s first-round selection, Asia Durr, did start at the point for New York in the game. In just over 18 minutes she scored six points, going 3-for-8 in her shot attempts. Durr grabbed three rebounds and made an assist while turning the ball over twice.
WNBA Preseason Schedule
The next two weeks will see the remainder of the league play in exhibition, as teams continue to prepare for their regular-season openers. The rest of the WNBA preseason schedule is as follows, with all times Eastern.
Friday, May 10
Washington Mystics at Minnesota Lynx, 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 11
Los Angeles Sparks at Phoenix Mercury, 10 p.m.
Monday, May 13
Dallas Wings at Atlanta Dream, 5 p.m.
New York Liberty at Connecticut Sun, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 14
Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky, 12 p.m.
New York Liberty at Atlanta Dream, 5 p.m.
Dallas Wings at Connecticut Sun, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 15
Phoenix Mercury at Seattle Storm, 10 p.m.
Thursday, May 16
Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever, 12 p.m.
Friday, May 17
Washington Mystics at Atlanta Dream, 7 p.m.
Seattle Storm at Los Angeles Sparks, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 19
New York Liberty at Connecticut Sun, 2:30 p.m.
Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings, 3 p.m.
Minnesota Lynx at Las Vegas Aces, 3:30 p.m.
One team’s path to the 2019 WNBA championship has already begun with the commencement of training camp and will continue with preseason contests. Through these games, the teams will identify their best player rotations and strategies to achieve that goal.
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