Connecticut Suns vs New York Liberty Semifinals, Game 2 prediction and game preview - September 26, 2023 / WNBA playoffs

The Connecticut Sun stole Game 1 of their WNBA semi-final series against the New York Liberty on Sunday, September 24. With a 63-78 scoreline, the Sun were clearly the better team throughout the game and will now head into their September 26 contest full of confidence as they look to take a 2-0 lead.

New York struggled on both sides of the floor as the Sun shut them down offensively and tore their defense apart. If the Liberty expects to make the WNBA Finals, they will need to raise their performance levels for the remainder of the series.

The Sun was never going to be an easy out. Connecticut has been the third-best team in the WNBA all season and has been hot on New York's heels. New York will need to find a way to limit Alyssa Thomas' playmaking from the center position, as they struggled to shut down the passing lanes all night long - the winner of that battle could determine who wins game two.

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Connecticut Suns vs New York Liberty: Prediction

The New York Liberty won't want to go two games down in the five-game series. If the Sun wins again on September 26, they're one game away from securing their series, representing a huge failure for the Liberty. As such, we should expect New York to come out of the gates hot and play with purpose.

The Liberty are a tough team to contain when their perimeter scorers are firing on all cylinders, which means Sabrina Ionescu will have some significant pressure on her shoulders. The Sun will head into the game as slight favorites due to their big win in game one. However, it's the Liberty who should be expected to win; after all, they have the most to lose if things don't go in their favor.

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New York Liberty Roster

PLAYER	POS	HEIGHT	WEIGHT	DOB	EXP	FROM
Stefanie Dolson	C	6-5 ft	235 lbs	JANUARY 8, 1992	9 yrs	CONNECTICUT/USA
Sabrina Ionescu	G	5-11 ft	165 lbs	DECEMBER 6, 1997	3 yrs	OREGON/USA
Marine Johannès	G	5-10 ft	134 lbs	JANUARY 21, 1995	2 yrs	FRANCE/FRANCE
Jonquel Jones	F	6-6 ft	215 lbs	JANUARY 5, 1994	6 yrs	GEORGE WASHINGTON/BAHAMAS
Betnijah Laney	F	6-0 ft	166 lbs	OCTOBER 29, 1993	7 yrs	RUTGERS/USA
Epiphanny Prince	G	5-9 ft	179 lbs	JANUARY 11, 1988	13 yrs	RUTGERS/USA
Nyara Sabally	F	6-5 ft	204 lbs	FEBRUARY 26, 2000	R	OREGON/GERMANY
Breanna Stewart	F	6-4 ft	170 lbs	AUGUST 27, 1994	6 yrs	CONNECTICUT/USA
Kayla Thornton	F	6-1 ft	190 lbs	OCTOBER 20, 1992	7 yrs	TEXAS-EL PASO/USA
Courtney Vandersloot	G	5-8 ft	137 lbs	FEBRUARY 8, 1989	12 yrs	GONZAGA/USA
Jocelyn Willoughby	G	6-0 ft	180 lbs	MARCH 25, 1998	2 yrs	VIRGINIA/USA
Han Xu	C	6-11 ft	203 lbs	OCTOBER 31, 1999	2 yrs	CHINA/CHINA

Connecticut Sun Roster

PLAYER	POS	HEIGHT	WEIGHT	DOB	EXP	FROM
Rebecca Allen	G	6-2 ft	162 lbs	NOVEMBER 6, 1992	7 yrs	MELBOURNE/AUSTRALIA
Kristine Anigwe	F-C	6-4 ft	200 lbs	MARCH 31, 1997	4 yrs	CALIFORNIA/UNITED KINGDOM
DeWanna Bonner	F-G	6-4 ft	143 lbs	AUGUST 21, 1987	13 yrs	AUBURN/USA
Leigha Brown	G	6-1 ft	165 lbs	JULY 14, 2000	R	MICHIGAN/USA
DiJonai Carrington	G-F	5-11 ft	175 lbs	JANUARY 8, 1998	2 yrs	BAYLOR/USA
Tyasha Harris	G	5-10 ft	152 lbs	MAY 1, 1998	3 yrs	SOUTH CAROLINA/USA
Tiffany Hayes	G	5-10 ft	155 lbs	SEPTEMBER 20, 1989	10 yrs	CONNECTICUT/USA
Natisha Hiedeman	G	5-8 ft	135 lbs	FEBRUARY 10, 1997	4 yrs	MARQUETTE/USA
Brionna Jones	F	6-3 ft	210 lbs	DECEMBER 18, 1995	6 yrs	MARYLAND/USA
Olivia Nelson-Ododa	C	6-5 ft	173 lbs	AUGUST 17, 2000	1 yrs	CONNECTICUT/USA
Alyssa Thomas	F	6-2 ft	190 lbs	APRIL 12, 1992	9 yrs	MARYLAND/USA

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New York Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun: Where to watch

You can watch the contest on ESPN, WNBA League Pass, and FUBO.

The game will be played at Barclays Center and is set to tip off at 8 p.m. Eastern time

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New York Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun: Players to watch

Breanna Stewart ended game one with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists — solid numbers, but not enough to give the New York Liberty the boost they needed. As such, Stewart will need to increase her productivity levels in game two. Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney will all need to produce at a higher level, too.

However, Courtney Vandersloot continues to give the Liberty a diverse impact across the board and will likely play an important role throughout the series.

For the Connecticut Sun, Alyssa Thomas will continue to orchestrate the offense from the center position while DeWanna Bonner and Rebecca Allen dominate on the offensive end. The Sun will also be relying on Tiffany Hayes and Natisha Heideman to provide some secondary scoring and playmaking — just as they did in game one.