Brooklyn, NY—-Sabrina Ionescu led the New York Liberty to a 91-76 victory over the Chicago Sky on Thursday night, scoring 21 points, while Jonquel Jones chipped in 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Angel Reese extended her WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles to 15 games, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Her 10th rebound with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game was met with cheers from the 17,758 fans in attendance, the largest crowd in Liberty history at Barclays Center.
They love women’s sports,” Reese said. “Just being able to go in this direction and continue to strive for great things. You never know the limit here. So many records have been broken, not just with me, but so many different players in this league.”
The Libs (19-4) held a narrow 68-66 lead early in the fourth quarter before a 7-2 run gave them some breathing room. After Reese’s 10th point brought the Sky (9-13) to within 78-72 with 3:51 remaining in the game, Ionescu answered with a key 3-pointer, sealing the game for the Liberty.
Chennedy Carter led the Sky with 22 points. Chicago had built a 37-24 lead midway through the second quarter, but Breanna Stewart led a Liberty comeback, scoring the first seven points of a 14-1 run that pulled New York within 40-38 at halftime. Ionescu, who had missed her first seven shots, found her rhythm in the second half.
“I was just trusting the looks — I was getting good looks at the basket, they were just long,” Ionescu said. “I was driving and getting into the pick-and-roll with (Jonquel), which was beneficial for us in the fourth quarter.”
Before the second quarter, the Liberty honored several former players, including ring of honor members Kym Hampton and Sue Wicks. The ceremony concluded with Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon being celebrated by her former teammates, drawing a warm ovation from the sellout crowd.
“Amazing feeling to have an opportunity to see one another, reminisce a little bit,” Weatherspoon said. “Do something like this in front of an amazing crowd here. It’s an awesome feeling. I love those young women with all my heart and they know that. The love we share is really real.”
Both teams will play again on Saturday in Chicago.
