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Liberty’s Chris DeMarco celebrates NY players for fighting hard vs. Dream

The New York Liberty’s playoff run ended abruptly Friday as they fell 85–83 to the Atlanta Dream in Game 3, concluding a three-game sweep in the WNBA semifinals. Despite the defeat, head coach Chris DeMarco praised his team’s relentless effort throughout the series, calling their performance ‘so hard’ and expressing pride in their fight.

The Liberty had earlier stunned the league by becoming the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No.

1 seed, defeating the Minnesota Lynx in the first round, but could not overcome Atlanta’s late-game push. Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones each scored 26 points, while Atlanta’s Angel Reese and Jordin Canada led the Dream to victory with 22 points and 11 assists, respectively.

The loss marks another early exit for New York, which had already faced a first-round elimination in 2025 and now faces another offseason without a championship appearance.

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