Liberty Takes Win Over Sparks

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WNBA New York Liberty

Liberty Takes Win Over Sparks

August 16, 2024 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
New York Liberty News Release


On Thursday, the New York Liberty (22-4) took down the Los Angeles Sparks (6-19), 103-68.

With the team's third win by at least 35 points this season, New York set a new WNBA record for 35-point wins in a single season, according to ESPN.

At 22-4, the 2024 Liberty are off to the team's best start through 26 games in franchise history.

The Liberty's 103 points scored and 35-point margin of victory marked the highest-scoring outing and biggest win by New York in the history of the matchup between these two original WNBA franchises.

New York's bench scored a season-high 37 points for the team's fourth consecutive game with double-digit bench points, moving the team to 7-0 in games where the Liberty's bench outscores the opponent's reserves.

The Liberty's 10 steals in the first half marked the franchise's first double-digit steals total in the first half since 2007.

New York held the Sparks to 10 points in the opening quarter for the lowest-scoring first quarter by a Liberty opponent since 2019, according to ESPN. The Liberty also held Los Angeles to 28 points in the first half, which is the lowest first-half scoring output by a Liberty opponent so far this season.

The Liberty finished with 31 assists to tie the team's season-high assist total, marking the third time New York has recorded at least 30 assists in a single game this season. No other team has had multiple games of 30 or more assists so far in 2024.

Up Next: The Liberty will face the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, August 17 at 4:00 p.m. ET at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

KEY RUNS

Q1: New York went on a 17-3 run from the 9:09 mark of the first to the 4:23 mark of the first quarter.

Q2: New York went on a 14-1 run from the 1:01 mark of the first to the 8:01 mark of the second quarter.

Q3: New York went on a 12-0 run from the 3:49 mark of the third to the 2:18 mark of the third quarter.

Q4: New York went on a 10-0 run from the 2:53 mark of the fourth to the 1:05 mark of the final frame.

PLAYER NOTABLES

Breanna Stewart led the Liberty offense with 27 points on 67% (10-15) shooting from the field and 75% (3-4) shooting from beyond the arc. Stewart added four rebounds and two assists in the win. With the 135th 20-point game of her career, Stewart tied DeWanna Bonner for the seventh-most career 20-point games in WNBA history.

Sabrina Ionescu recorded 18 points, six assists, and four rebounds against Los Angeles. The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month for July also made three three-pointers to extend her streak of regular-season games with at least one made three-pointer to 51, which is the third-longest such streak in WNBA history. With her second rebound of the game, Sabrina surpassed 750 career rebounds and moved into seventh in Liberty franchise history for total rebounds, passing Teresa Weatherspoon. Ionescu has scored at least 10 points in all 26 games so far in 2024, which leads the WNBA this season.

Jonquel Jones scored the first five points of the game and finished with nine points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. With her layup at 8:45 of the second quarter, Jones reached 3,500 career points, becoming the fourth-fastest player in WNBA history (262 games) to reach 3,500 points scored while shooting at least 50% from the field (51.8%). Jones has recorded multiple assists in 12 consecutive games, which is the longest streak of her career.

Kayla Thornton posted 16 points off the bench on 56% (5-9) shooting from the field and 67% (4-6) shooting from deep to go along with two steals and a block. Thornton made 76% (10-13) of her three-point attempts over her last two matchups with Los Angeles, which is the highest three-point percentage over consecutive games by a Sparks opponent all-time (min. 10 total attempts).

Leonie Fiebich scored four points to go along with four rebounds, one assist, and a career-high four steals. Fiebich joined Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese as the only 2024 rookies to record three or more steals in multiple games this season. Leonie also became the first rookie since Ariel Atkins in 2018 to record a plus-minus of +10 or better in four consecutive games, and the first since Jackie Young and Napheesa Collier in 2019 to record at least six games with a plus-minus of +15 or better as a rookie.

Courtney Vandersloot made both of her three-point attempts and finished with eight points, five assists, and four rebounds while shooting 60% (3-5) from the field.

Nyara Sabally set her career high with nine rebounds in the win. Sabally added six points and three assists while shooting 75% (3-4) from the field against Los Angeles.

Kennedy Burke recorded six points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal. Burke has recorded multiple stocks (steals + blocks) in three consecutive games, tying the second-longest streak of her career.

Jaylyn Sherrod played six minutes and recorded the first two assists of her career, along with her first career steal in the WNBA.

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