Since a loss to the Washington Mystics on June 7, the Liberty have won three of their last four thanks to multiple players stepping up. But perhaps none as emphatically as hot-handed center Amanda Zahui B.
On Saturday, she dropped a career-high 37 points in a critical 98-92 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. She went 13 of 16 from the field and 7 of 8 from beyond the arc, while the Liberty shot 47 percent as team.
Three nights earlier, the 25-year-old recorded a double-double (15 points, 13 rebounds) in a win over the Minnesota Lynx. In eight games, Zahui B. is averaging 11.3 points per game, and her opponents are starting to take notice.
“She had a great game and I wish we were able to slow her down,” Sparks center Chiney Ogwumike said Saturday. “My college coach (Tara Vanderveer) used to say, ‘Some days you’re the dog, and some days you’re the hydrant.’ Well, she was the dog from the perimeter today.”
The Swedish center’s outbreak should come as no surprise. It’s a reflection of the years of work she’s put in at every level of the game, creating a blend of European and North American styles of play.
“I definitely give all credit to my college teammates, scout guides, everyone that I ever played against in college,” the University of Minnesota product told The Athletic before the Lynx game. “That’s where I found the mix of more physical (style of play) out here, and more finesse in Europe. I think that I have found the in-between, so I don’t really have to transition much. It just has become my game.”
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Zahui B. has not only found her signature scoring groove this season, but has also done well for the Liberty on the defensive end, proving she is more than a finesse player. She grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over the Lynx and recorded a career-high six blocks in a loss to the Sparks on June 4. In fact, Zahui B. has set career marks in nine different statistical categories to start her 2019 campaign.
“She’s been great,” Smith said. “For me, the biggest thing for her (from) when I was an assistant to now is not fouling … she has a skill set that’s different. She can shoot the ball, she’s a stretch four. But she’s also challenged herself (in respect to) the rebounding, the activity level. Her defense has gone from here to here (gesturing up).
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Zahui B. attributes some of that discipline to the pivotal role she must play for Team Sweden.
“When I play out in Europe I’m more so (a go-to) leader,” said Zahui B., who’s been a part of the national team system since age 13. “Not only my basketball skills and what to do on the court, but also leading the team, making sure that everyone’s good.”