DeMarco earns first win in preseason finale as NY preps for tip-off

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN – The 2026 WNBA season tips off on Friday at the Barclays Center when the New York Liberty host the Connecticut Sun.

New York split their preseason slate, falling to Indiana in Brooklyn before downing the Sun in Connecticut. The latter marked the first WNBA win for Chris DeMarco as he fine tuned his first pro roster.

A number of new faces and old fan favorites decorated New York’s preseason roster. Among them were players like Chinese center Han Xu, Turkish guard Derin Erdogan, and French prospect Pauline Astier.

In their late April game against Indiana, Xu led the Liberty with 20 points in 22 minutes of action. She added a pair of blocks but only managed two rebounds in the preseason loss. 

On Sunday in Connecticut, Jonquel Jones led the team with 15 points. Also scoring in double figures were the recently re-signed Marine Johannes with 12, Anneli Maley with 13 off the bench, and an impressive dozen points for Astier in her first taste of WNBA hoops.

New superstar signing Satou Sabally didn’t dress for either preseason matchup, continuing her conditioning as she prepares to return to play. She is likely to feature on Friday night for her Liberty debut.

This season will be Connecticut’s last year in the Northeast, as the team celebrates their “Sunset Season” ahead of their relocation to Houston in 2027. The Sun will likely take over the “Comets” moniker, reviving the historic WNBA franchise that folded in 2008.

Friday marks the Sun’s last trip to New York in their current capacity. The Liberty will make their final visits to Connecticut on Monday, June 8 and Saturday, August 15.

After the season opener, New York will hit the road for a trio of games. First they visit the Washington Mystics on May 10 before playing a pair of games against the Fire, their first matchups in Portland. The Liberty will return to Brooklyn 

Sabrina sidelined

New York will be without Sabrina Ionescu to start the year. The 6th year Liberty guard injured her ankle in the 3rd quarter of Sunday’s loss but luckily avoided significant injury. Still, Sabrina will be sidelined for at least two weeks before being evaluated again.

Ionescu missed significant time in her early WNBA days with an injury to the same ankle. It’s important for NY to be patient and cautious as last season was an injury-marred one.