Liberty Drop Regular Season Finale
Published on September 24, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
New York Liberty News Release
NEW YORK - The New York Liberty (26-18) fell to the Atlanta Dream (30-14), 83-65, in the team's final game of the regular season.
Marine Fauthoux paced the Liberty with a career-high 14 points off the bench while adding four assists and three rebounds and shooting 50 percent (3-for-6) from the field. Fauthoux scored 10 of her points in the fourth quarter, matching her career high for points in a single quarter. Han Xu contributed 11 points with two rebounds and a block off the bench while setting her career high for points in a single season with 277.
Jonquel Jones finished with a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds while adding a block. Jones connected on a 3-pointer for the seventh consecutive game as she passed Vickie Johnson (221) for the ninth-most made 3-pointers in Liberty franchise history. This marked her 53rd double-double in a Liberty uniform, tied for the second-most in franchise history. Jones finished the season with 390 rebounds, a franchise single-season record, while setting career highs for points (625), field goals made (213) and made 3-pointers (78) in a single season.
Raquel Carrera made the first start of her WNBA career and finished with career highs of nine points and four assists while matching her career best with five rebounds. Carrera shot 100 percent (3-for-3) from the field and is one of three players in the WNBA this season to post at least nine points, five rebounds and four assists on perfect shooting from the field.
Rebecca Allen, appearing in the final regular-season contest of her WNBA career, contributed six points, five rebounds and a block while shooting 40 percent (2-for-5) from beyond the arc. She passed Kia Vaughn (186) for the 10th-most games played in Liberty franchise history and recorded her 98th game with at least one made 3-pointer for New York, which ranks 12th in franchise history.
Pauline Astier put up four points, three rebounds and two assists as she set the franchise record for points by a Liberty rookie, surpassing Sophia Witherspoon (407). She also passed Anna Cruz (118) and DeTrina White (118) for the sixth-most rebounds by a rookie in Liberty franchise history. Astier finished the season shooting 54.6 percent from the field, the highest field goal percentage by a rookie guard in WNBA or NBA history (min. 250 attempts). She also surpassed Cynthia Cooper-Dyke's WNBA record for the highest true shooting percentage by a rookie, finishing the season at 63.5 percent.
Sabrina Ionescu scored all seven of her points in the first quarter and added four rebounds with a block. Ionescu finished the season with averages of at least 14 points and four assists per game for the sixth time in her career, matching Becky Hammon and Candace Parker for the third-most such seasons in WNBA history.
New York outrebounded Atlanta 12-8 in the first quarter while holding Atlanta to just 38.1 percent (8-for-21) shooting from the field to take a 19-18 lead after the first. This marked the fourth time this season that a Dream opponent held Atlanta without a 3-pointer in the opening quarter. The Liberty recorded four blocks in the first quarter to tie the team's season high for blocks in a single quarter. Atlanta went on an 18-7 run from 9:28 to 1:01 in the second quarter and led 41-26 at halftime despite New York matching the team's season high for rebounds in a half with 25 before the break.
New York's defense held the Dream to 30 percent (6-for-20) shooting from the field in the third quarter. The Liberty outscored Atlanta 18-17 in the third period but the Dream entered the final frame with a 58-44 lead. Han and Fauthoux combined for 17 of New York's 21 fourth-quarter points and the Liberty went on a 12-4 run from 7:12 to 4:23 in the fourth, but Atlanta closed the game on a 16-5 run to secure an 83-65 win.
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