It was a banner day for The Sixth Woman as the WNBA playoffs tipped off Sunday. The presumptive favorites for Sixth Player of the Year — Leonie Fiebich and Tiffany Hayes , dazzled. Fiebich even earned the start after spending most of her rookie season coming off the bench.
Marina Mabrey had the most points ever for a reserve in a playoff game, with 27 in her first postseason appearance with Connecticut . And Minnesota ’s Bridget Carleton , who started the season as a bench player but landed in the starting lineup via injury and never relinquished her spot, hit perhaps the biggest shot of the day. BRIDGET CARLETON.
BANG. pic.twitter.
com/o34QwFRzZ7 — Dime (@DimeUPROXX) September 22, 2024 The stars had their moments of brilliance as well: Alyssa Thomas’ fourth playoff triple-double, Napheesa Collier ’s career-high of 38, and A’ja Wilson ’s 15-point third quarter buoying their teams to victory. But in the words of Wilson, the postseason requires everything from everyone, including lesser-known players subbing in to change the energy and the outcome of games. Advertisement The beauty of the playoffs is that a singular performance can affect an entire series.
One hot night — especially in a three-game series — can be the difference between moving on and going home. With four Game 1s in the books and all four favorites looking for sweeps in Game 2, what other factors can tilt the balance? Change to Liberty starting lineup key to Game 1 win NEW YORK — Before the N.