Oregon basketball women’s great Sabrina Ionescu sets another milestone WNBA mark

Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Former Oregon basketball player Sabrina Ionescu set a new standard when she was playing for the Ducks and is now doing the same in the WNBA.

It should not be much of a surprise that Ionescu is a special player. Despite an injury in her rookie year, she has become not only an important player for the New York Liberty but also an almost nightly highlight reel for the WNBA.

As an Oregon basketball player, her record of triple-doubles in a season for either men’s or women’s basketball will stand for quite a while. Now she has set a special mark in the WNBA. She has scored 500 points and netted 500 assists and rebounds in a single season. A first for a WNBA player. It just goes to show what a healthy Ionescu can do on the court with the right players around her.

This season she has shown off several skills including a three-point shot that can be made from well outside the line and also several well-timed buzzer-beating shots. Ionescu’s versatility and knowledge of the game grow with every minute she is on the court.

Despite the historic performance, the New York Liberty lost to the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday, 76-62. For her second season, Sabrina Ionescu will likely not see the postseason as New York currently has a 13-19 record and is on the outside looking in at the WNBA Playoffs. Coming off a foot injury last season, Ionescu has shown that the injury has not gotten in her way this season.

The New York Liberty have struggled this season with a five-game losing streak and most recently a string of seven straight losses.  Ionescu has been a consistent scorer most of the season but was held to single digits a handful of times this season.

New York will face the Dallas Wings on Monday night in the lone game of the day. Tipoff is set for 5 pm Pacific Time on NBA TV.