TORONTO — Rebecca Allen’s patience is paying dividends.
Allen went from struggling to crack the rotation early this season to starting in place of an injured Leonie Fiebich.
That month as a starter helped Allen find her flow. Her confidence grew as she became more comfortable in the team’s system.
The results have since followed.
Allen is averaging two 3-pointers and converting at a 50.8 percent clip from deep in the past 15 games.
She said she liked the sound of that stat when a reporter made her aware of it Sunday after the Liberty’s 106-69 win against the Toronto Tempo.
“I’ve just tried to stay true to the process of it all,” Allen said. “For me, it’s been nothing really has changed from the start. It’s more so that I’m just trying to keep my head cool and calm and also you get more comfortable within the offense, too, so you become a bit more patient out on the court so that’s been a big thing for me, but it is nice to hear that percentage.”
Allen provided a key spark off the bench in Toronto, cashing in on four of her seven attempts from downtown to finish with 14 points.
When the playoffs start, the rotation will likely squeeze. But Allen has cemented her spot within it by locking in on defense and hitting timely 3s.
“She’s really important for us,” Pauline Astier said of Allen. “She just shows up every time she’s on the floor, and that’s really good. We need her. We need all the people on this team.”
The Liberty’s offense was humming Sunday.
They had 29 assists on 39 baskets, with 16 made 3s.
Pauline Astier attributed the Liberty’s offensive success to improvements the team has made on the other end of the floor.
“We are playing better defense,” she said when asked about the flowing ball movement. “We are more as a shell, in the gaps and everything, and it gives us a lot of freedom on offense.”
Meanwhile, Ionescu, who’s been prone to disappearing acts this season as she’s dealt with a nagging back injury, couldn’t get it going in Toronto.
She missed all seven shots in the first half. Though her shot wasn’t falling, she still found ways to impact the game, finishing with nine assists. She could’ve had 10 had Astier not missed a layup attempt.
Astier was flabbergasted when she was told she grabbed nine rebounds. It’s a new career high, surpassing the eight boards she grabbed in a June 11 win in Atlanta.
“That’s the first time, I didn’t realize,” said Astier, who also had 10 points and three assists. “I was just like, ‘OK, the ball came to me.’”
