MINNEAPOLIS — The Liberty will be without a key starter for Saturday’s matinee against the Minnesota Lynx.
New York will be without two-way wing Leonie Fiebich, who has been sidelined with a left foot injury for the second consecutive game.
That means the Liberty will play one of the league’s top teams without their best perimeter defender.
Without the 6-foot-4 German, the burden shifts onto the rest of the team to step up.
The Liberty also will miss her supplementary scoring.
Fiebich doesn’t seem to be one who counts her shot attempts, but she makes them count.
The Liberty have other bucket-getters on their star-studded team, including Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu.
Fiebich is shooting 45.1 percent from the field on a career-high 7.3 attempts.
She’s converting on 43.3 percent of her tries from deep and is averaging 10 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals across her 14 starts.
Fiebich recorded 13 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals in the Liberty’s July 3 win against the Lynx.
New York outscored Minnesota by 18 points when Fiebich was on the floor.
Fiebich went to the gym to shoot the next day but missed practice the following week for what coach Chris DeMarco deemed “general soreness.”
She hasn’t played since.
DeMarco said Fiebich underwent further examination, including an MRI exam on Tuesday.
The team hasn’t shared the results of her tests.
The Liberty can’t seem to catch a break from the injury bug.
Injuries stained last year’s attempt to defend their 2024 title.
This season, New York has played shorthanded more times than not yet again.
The Liberty have been without Satou Sabally for more than two weeks as she remains in concussion protocol after suffering her second head injury in eight months. She didn’t make the trip to Minnesota.
Pauline Astier (left ankle) and Rebecca Allen (nose) are listed as questionable against the Lynx.
Various injuries and absences have resulted in New York deploying 10 different starting lineups across 22 games this season.
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