Liberty rout Aces 99-61 to hand Las Vegas only its 3rd loss of season.
NEW YORK (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu scored 31 points, hitting six of New York’s 17 3-pointers to lead the Liberty to a 99-61 rout of the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday in a matchup of the top two teams in the WNBA.
The Liberty have won four straight and snapped the Aces’ eight-game winning streak, handing Las Vegas (24-3) only its third loss of the season in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 11,418.
The Aces were bidding to match the 1998 Houston Comets for most wins before suffering a third defeat. These two squads will play three more times this month, including for the Commissioner’s Cup championship on Aug. 15 in Las Vegas.
In the first meeting between the teams in June, the Aces used a dominant third quarter to blow open the game. The Liberty did it this time, outscoring Las Vegas 30-9 in the period. The Aces came into the game leading the WNBA in scoring at 94.4 points.
A’ja Wilson had a tough game, she was 2-for-14 from the field for nine points. She also had a scare late in the first quarter when she caught an elbow to the face from Jonquel Jones on a post move in the lane with 53.4 seconds left. The reigning MVP stayed down for a few seconds before getting up and going back to the locker room as the play was reviewed and eventually upgraded to a flagrant foul. Wilson returned to hit the two free throws before returning to the locker room briefly.
She said after the game she felt good.
SPARKS 91, MYSTICS 83
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nneka Ogwumike had 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Azurá Stevens made 7 of 11 from the field and finished with 17 points and the Sparks beat the Mystics to snap a four-game losing streak.
Jordin Canada, who made 9 of 10 from the free-throw line, had 15 points for Los Angeles (10-18).
Los Angeles coach Curt Miller became the fifth-fastest in WNBA history to reach 150 career wins and became one of three coaches (Van Chancellor and Lin Dunn) with at least 275 collegiate and 150 professional wins.
Brittney Sykes hit a jumper to give Washington (13-14) an eight-point lead with 6 minutes to play and she made 1-of-2 free throws to make it 78-75 with 3 minutes remaining. Samuelson answered with two foul shots and Ogwumike followed with a short jumper that gave the Sparks the lead for good with 2:14 left and Samuelson added a 3-pointer about a minute later to make it 83-78.
L.A.’s Layshia Clarendon was fouled by Sykes on a drive to the basket with about 33 seconds to play and a scuffle ensued. After a video replay, Sykes and Clarendon were both ejected from the game and Rae Burrell made the ensuing two free throws to give the Sparks an 85-80 lead.
DREAM 82, FEVER 73
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Rhyne Howard scored 24 points, Allisha Gray added 21 on 6-of-10 shooting, 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and the Dream beat the Fever.
Cheyenne Parker added 16 points for Atlanta (15-13).
Gray made a driving layup and Nia Coffey followed with a 3-pointer early in the first quarter to spark an 11-1 run and give the Dream the lead for good.
Grace Berger made a floater to close the scoring in the third quarter and assisted on a layup by Kelsey Mitchell to open the fourth before Mitchell made back-to-back 3-pointers to cap a 14-5 spurt that trimmed the Fever’s deficit to five points and Mitchell’s layup with about 5 minutes left made it 70-67. Gray answered with a jumper, Howard added two baskets and Indiana got no closer.
Aliyah Boston had 25 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for the Fever (7-21), who have lost 14 of their last 16 games.
SKY 104, WINGS 96
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Marina Mabrey scored 32 points, including making 13 of 14 free throws, and Kahleah Copper added 23 points to help the Sky beat the Wings.
Chicago (12-15), which swept its three-game regular season series with the Wings, has scored 104 points in each of its last three games and has topped the 100-point plateau four times this season.
Chicago’s Ruthy Hebard and Arike Ogunbowale of the Wings were both ejected. Hebard left the bench during a dust-up between teammate Dana Evans and Dallas’ Odyssey Sims (who were each charged with a technical foul) midway through the third quarter. Ogunbowale, who finished with 14 points, was charged with a technical foul and ejected for unnecessary contact with an official with 52 seconds to play. That could lead to a suspension.
The teams combined for 54 personal fouls and shot 35 free throws apiece.
Satou Sabally led Dallas (15-13) with 25 points and eight assists.
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