Sabrina Ionescu poured in 29 points and Jonquel Jones contributed a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds as the New York Liberty defeated the Phoenix Mercury 89-76 on Friday night, securing their fifth straight victory.
Leonie Fiebich added 13 points for the Liberty (17-6), who widened the gap between themselves and the third-place Mercury (15-9) in the standings. The win also served as a measure of revenge, as Phoenix had claimed victory in the first two meetings between the teams this season.
New York found itself trailing 54-49 midway through the third quarter before igniting an 18-5 run to close the period. Jones capped the surge with a tough fadeaway jumper just before the buzzer, giving the Liberty a 67-59 edge heading into the fourth.
From there, Ionescu took over. She scored the first five points of the final quarter as part of a 10-2 run that gave New York its largest lead of the night at 82-64. The Mercury were unable to mount a comeback, never cutting the deficit back to single digits.
Despite the loss, Alyssa Thomas turned in a strong all-around performance for Phoenix with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists - just shy of notching her 17th career triple-double and 13th in the regular season.
The Liberty’s depth, defense, and timely shooting proved too much for the Mercury down the stretch, as New York continued to build momentum heading into the second half of the WNBA season.
Leonie Fiebich added 13 points for the Liberty (17-6), who widened the gap between themselves and the third-place Mercury (15-9) in the standings. The win also served as a measure of revenge, as Phoenix had claimed victory in the first two meetings between the teams this season.
New York found itself trailing 54-49 midway through the third quarter before igniting an 18-5 run to close the period. Jones capped the surge with a tough fadeaway jumper just before the buzzer, giving the Liberty a 67-59 edge heading into the fourth.
From there, Ionescu took over. She scored the first five points of the final quarter as part of a 10-2 run that gave New York its largest lead of the night at 82-64. The Mercury were unable to mount a comeback, never cutting the deficit back to single digits.
Despite the loss, Alyssa Thomas turned in a strong all-around performance for Phoenix with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists - just shy of notching her 17th career triple-double and 13th in the regular season.
The Liberty’s depth, defense, and timely shooting proved too much for the Mercury down the stretch, as New York continued to build momentum heading into the second half of the WNBA season.
