Liberty C Stefanie Dolson returns from ankle injury: ‘She’s just got to go out there and play as hard as she can’

Center Stefanie Dolson is back in action for the Liberty after missing 17 games with a right ankle injury she suffered in a road win against the Atlanta Dream on June 23. The team activated the center before Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Sky and she’ll be on a minutes restriction, head coach Sandy Brondello said Friday.

“I don’t see her being over 10 minutes or so,” Brondello said about managing Dolson’s minutes prior to the team’s third matchup against the Sky. “Probably because conditioning will be her biggest thing. She’s just got to go out there and play as hard as she can and not go too long in a row because that’ll fatigue her real quickly.”

Dolson’s return allows Brondello to utilize the veteran as the first big off the bench again and it adds depth to the bench unit. The team has gone 14-3 in her absence, which is superb considering the early issues the team faced without her and Han Xu (not with the team — overseas) in the lineup. The team got exposed down low against other bigs, which was shown in the home loss against the Dallas Wings on July 19. In that game, the Libs allowed 50 points in the paint and lost the rebounding battle, 40-36.

Wings center Teaira McCowan won her matchup against Jonquel Jones after putting up 15 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 6-for-11 from the floor.

Nyara Sabally and Jones were forced to carry the load in those 17 games Dolson missed, which caused real issues early. Initially, the duo struggled with foul trouble, like in the overtime victory against the Indiana Fever on July 12. Both Jones and Sabally picked up two fouls in the first quarter dealing with Rookie of the Year frontrunner Aliyah Boston.

However, Jones’ strong recent play erased those issues and led to the team’s surge post-All-Star break. Jones is averaging 14.6 points and 12.4 rebounds per game while shooting 57% from the field. She recorded seven double-doubles in the 10-game span and dominated the Washington Mystics on the road by getting 27 points and 11 rebounds.

“JJ is playing her best ball of the season,” Brondello said about her star center.

Now with Dolson back, the team can go back to the high-low action between the two bigs that garnered success early in the season. The team will also benefit from the ninth-year veteran’s leadership on the court once her minute restriction is eventually lifted. Dolson was a key fixture aiding teammates from the sidelines in her absence but the times where she was needed showed.

“She sees things happen before they actually do. It’s not about scoring. She creates for other people. She’s a really good passer as a big,” the head coach explained when asked what the team missed with Dolson on the bench.

“She sets really good screens. She does all the little intangibles. She’ll talk a lot. All the one percenters that we need,”

And now with Dolson back, the head coach said she was “excited” to get her on the court again.

“It means a lot,” Brondello said when asked what it means to have the 6-5 Dolson back in the lineup. “She’s just a really smart basketball player… I’m excited to have her back. It gives us another big body and another experienced player that hopefully will keep us moving forward and hitting our potential.”

PLAYOFF BOUND

Following Thursday night’s losses by the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks, the Libs clinched a playoff berth for the third consecutive season. The Liberty entered Friday with a franchise-best 22-6 start and will participate in postseason action for the 18th time in its 27-year history.

“I honestly found out this morning on Instagram,” Sabally said while laughing.

The upcoming postseason action will be Sabally’s first WNBA playoff action. The former Oregon product missed the entire 2022 season due to a knee injury after the Liberty selected her with the fifth overall pick in last year’s draft.

The postseason berth now ensures third-year guard Jocelyn Willoughby won’t miss the playoffs for the first time in her career.

“Different from previous years,” Willoughby said about clinching after just 28 games. “We were kind of clawing our way into it [before]. So that was definitely a nice feeling. Thinking of how far we’ve come and to get it this early in the season rather than waiting until late, I’m definitely excited.”