Vandersloot Sets New Playoff Assists Record as Liberty Win Game 1

In a thrilling Sunday afternoon showdown at Barclays Center, the New York Liberty secured a significant victory against the Atlanta Dream, winning 83-69 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Rookie Leonie Fiebich emerged as the star of the match, recording a personal-best 21 points. Veteran Courtney Vandersloot also made headlines by surpassing Sue Bird to become the WNBA’s all-time leader in playoff assists.

Vandersloot achieved this milestone with just under five minutes remaining in the game. Following a steal, she launched a pass to Breanna Stewart, who completed the play with a dunk. This marked Vandersloot’s 365th playoff assist, a moment made even more special by Bird’s presence in the stands.

“It’s tough to chase Sue,” Vandersloot reflected. “She’s a winner, that’s why she has a lot of playoff assists. For her to be in the building, that’s pretty special.”

Breanna Stewart, who has played alongside Bird in the past, acknowledged Vandersloot’s incredible playmaking ability. “The way that [Vandersloot] can continue to set people up in many different ways, I’ve been a [beneficiary] of that,” Stewart said. “She’s one of the best to ever do it.”

In the game, Vandersloot contributed four points and three assists—the exact numbers needed to break Bird’s record. This marked a rare occasion for her, as she came off the bench for the Liberty, a role she hadn’t assumed since 2017.

Fiebich displayed remarkable shooting talent, hitting 7 of 8 field goal attempts, including a flawless 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. This was especially impressive for her first playoff game, as she tied the Liberty record for points by a rookie in a playoff match. She is also one of only eight rookies this WNBA season to score 20 points in a game.

“I was just happy that we moved the ball and my teammates found me,” Fiebich commented after the game. She made an explosive entrance, scoring on her first five attempts and setting a Liberty playoff debut record for the most three-pointers made.

Commenting on her success, Fiebich added, “They’re leaving me open a little bit; they have to guard everybody else on my team. So I can take advantage of that. Obviously, it helps if you see your first ones go in.”

Four players from the Liberty scored in double figures, with Fiebich leading at 21 points and Stewart close behind at 20. As the top-seeded Liberty, they have a chance to advance to the semifinals with a win at their next home game on Tuesday.

Hailing from Landsberg am Lech, Germany, Fiebich replaced Vandersloot in the starting lineup on Sunday. Despite her new role, she had already started 15 games this season and is among only two Liberty players to have featured in all 41 games. Currently, she averages 6.7 points per game and shoots 43.3% from three-point range.

“She’s a great shooter,” noted Liberty coach Sandy Brondello. “I like when she’s shooting the ball and being aggressive. She only missed one. A little pull-up. She’ll work on that tomorrow.”

Originally selected in the second round of the 2020 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, Fiebich’s rights were acquired by the Liberty in a multi-team trade in 2023 that sent Marina Mabrey from Dallas to Chicago. At 24 years old, Fiebich has also found opportunities to play professionally overseas and for the German national team.

When asked in the post-game interview how to translate “on fire” into German, Fiebich appeared a bit puzzled. “I don’t think we have that,” she laughed. “In basketball, we use a lot of English words. So, ‘on fire’ would work.”