Brooklyn, NY—–On Thursday, the New York Liberty (13-3) secured a 93-80 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks (4-12).
The 2024 Liberty, now 13-3, have matched the franchise’s best record through 16 games, previously achieved in 1997. They have won nine of their last ten contests, marking one of the top three 10-game stretches in Liberty history.
Sabrina Ionescu’s standout performance included 31 points, contributing to New York being the only WNBA team this season with three players who have scored 30 or more points, alongside Breanna Stewart (2x) and Jonquel Jones.
During their dominant performance, the Liberty embarked on a crucial 15-4 run in the first quarter, while the Sparks countered with a 21-9 surge spanning the end of the third quarter to late in the fourth but fell short in closing the gap. The game drew an announced crowd of 10,955 spectators.
In the dominating feat, New York had four starters with five or more assists for the fourth time this season, a first in WNBA history according to Across the Timeline.
Ionescu and Jones made history as the first WNBA teammates to each tally at least 20 points and eight assists in a single game. Together, they combined for 17 assists, just shy of the 18 assists the Liberty allowed the Sparks all game.
Additionally, the Sparks outrebounded the Liberty by four (34-30) but couldn’t convert around the basket down the stretch.
Aari McDonald led the Sparks with 15 points and 3 assists, while Zia Cooke chipped in 13 points.
NEXT UP:
The New York Liberty will host the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, June 22 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Barclays Center.
