Satou Sabally misses Liberty's 84-74 win over Mercury, her former team, while dealing with illness

NEW YORK (AP) — Liberty forward Satou Sabally missed a chance to play against her former team, the Phoenix Mercury, on Wednesday night, after being ruled out about an hour before tipoff.

Sabally had to leave Monday’s loss to Portland in the first quarter because she was feeling ill. She didn’t return after playing four minutes. She said after shootaround Wednesday that she was feeling better and hoped to play against the Mercury, but wasn't available for the 84-74 victory.

“She tested it out, didn't feel well, ” Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said after the game. "Wanted to be out there with her teammates. She was great throughout the game. She’s questionable for the next one, too. She wanted to play.”

The teams meet again Friday night, in Brooklyn.

Sabally may have been the biggest name to move this offseason, coming to New York as a free agent. She said parting with Phoenix was somewhat mutual, saying that she was more focused on “where I wanted to be next. In an environment that encourages me and believes in me. I had to do that for my own protection also.”

She also said she knew the Mercury “wanted to keep their options open. We had respectful conversations.”

Sabally played in Phoenix for one season and helped the Mercury reach the WNBA Finals, including in a playoff series victory over New York in the first round. She exited the Finals when she suffered a concussion in Game 3.

Lingering effects from the concussion slowed her start with New York. She missed the first few games of the season for that, as well as a cyst. She made her season debut against Golden State last Thursday and then had a 20-point game against Dallas on Saturday.

“Obviously she's a great player, we miss her a lot,” Phoenix forward DeWanna Bonner said.

While Sabally was sidelined, New York got back Betnijah-Laney Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich. Laney-Hamilton has been out for personal reasons and Fiebich has been recovering after playing in the Spanish League championship.

Laney-Hamilton was key during a 23-0 run in the third quarter that turned the game. Fiebich had nine points.

Guard Sabrina Ionescu missed a second straight game with what the team described as a back injury. She missed Monday's loss to Portland after making her season debut a day earlier against Dallas.

With the win the Liberty improved to 4-4 and snapped a three-game losing streak, their longest since 2022.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball