The New York Liberty clinched a place in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship game by beating the Washington Mystics 86-64 on Sunday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
ESPN's game summary confirmed the final score and venue, while the Associated Press report said the result extended New York's winning streak to seven games. The Liberty improved to 10-4 and now wait to learn both their opponent and whether they will host the title game.
Stewart Sets The Tone Before Halftime
Breanna Stewart had 14 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high seven blocks for New York. Her first-half line did much of the early separating: 11 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in the opening 20 minutes.
ESPN/AP reported that Stewart became only the second player in WNBA history to record at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a half, joining Brittney Griner.
That gave the Liberty a defensive anchor while the offense warmed up. New York led 36-28 at halftime, then used the third quarter to make the game less about Washington's comeback chances and more about tournament logistics.
Jones Pushes Liberty Clear In Third Quarter
Jonquel Jones scored 20 points, with 17 coming in the second half. After Washington trimmed the margin and New York coach Chris DeMarco called timeout, Jones scored the next seven Liberty points to push the lead back into double digits.
Washington, which fell to 5-7, had entered off a last-second win over Toronto. The Mystics could not get closer than six points the rest of the way, and Michaela Onyenwere led them with 17 points.
The Liberty have now reached the Commissioner's Cup final three times, according to ESPN/AP, winning once and losing once in their previous two trips. This one still has a location question attached because hosting depends on whether New York or the Western Conference representative has the better overall record.
Ionescu Returns As Liberty Get Full Roster
The win also marked Sabrina Ionescu's return after she missed the previous seven Liberty games with back soreness. It was only her second game back after an ankle injury interrupted the start of her season.
Ionescu checked in midway through the first quarter and quickly gave New York some of its usual connective passing. ESPN/AP noted that her third sharp pass of the quarter found Leonie Fiebich for an open 3-pointer and a 20-13 Liberty lead.
With Ionescu available, the Liberty had their full roster for the first time this season. The Cup berth is the headline, but the roster note is what makes the next step more interesting: New York reached the final while still getting its main pieces back in rhythm.