Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu's Liberty Called Out by WNBA Fans in Loss to Sun

The Connecticut Sun picked a great time to earn their first win over the New York Liberty this season.

Connecticut went into Barclays Center and walked out a 78-63 victor in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals.

Many fans were surprised at how flat the Liberty looked.

The No. 2 seed found its footing in the second half of the year and swept its best-of-three opening-round series with the Washington Mystics.

That form didn't carry over into Sunday. New York held a three-point lead at halftime, only to get outscored 28-15 by the Sun in the third quarter. Sandy Brondello's squad couldn't put together any sustained offensive run in the second half.

Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu were singled out by fans.

Stewart shot 7-of-25 from the field for 19 points after having a so-so first round.

On Ionescu, Sun head coach Stephanie White clearly made it a focus to exploit the two-time All-Star on the defensive end.

Connecticut found a winning recipe with offensive balance and its typically suffocating defense.

DeWanna Bonner had a game-high 20 points, and three other Sun starters scored in double figures. Alyssa Thomas was the outlier, yet she still managed to fill out the box score (eight points, seven rebounds, 10 assists and two steals). Rebecca Allen seemingly savored the opportunity to get one over on her old team, finishing with 18 points and helping to stymie Ionescu.

From the moment the Liberty assembled their superteam by adding Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot, fans eagerly anticipated a WNBA Finals matchup with the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces. The regular season ultimately did little to disabuse people of that notion.

Especially after Game 1, write the Connecticut Sun off at your own peril.