Liberty Holds Off Wings for 79-71 Win Without Sabrina Ionescu

The New York Liberty got the shock of their lives from the Dallas Stars on Thursday night and narrowly avoided an upset by winning 79-71.

Dallas took a one-point lead with 6:47 left in the fourth quarter on a basket and free throw by Arike Ogunbowale. New York responded with consecutive baskets by Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart to retake the lead and hold it until the final buzzer.

Stewart scored a game-high 19 points (making 9 of 11 free throws), leading four Liberty players in double figures. She also had seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Kayla Thornton added 16 points, as did Leonie Fiebich with seven assists. Jones scored 13 with 13 rebounds.

Thursday’s game was New York’s second straight at home against Dallas. On Tuesday, Liberty defeated the Wings 94-74.

New York improved its record to 25-4, the best in the WNBA, while Dallas fell to 6-23, tied for the worst record in the league.

Ogunbowale had 19 points with six rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks. Natasha Howard had 16 points and Teaira McCowan added 14. Both Howard and McCowan had eight rebounds, with Satou Sabally adding seven and five assists.

New York was without leading scorer Sabrina Ionescu, who missed her second straight game with a neck injury. Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello described Ionescu’s injury as “tightness” for Tuesday’s game. Her status for Thursday was a game-time decision; the fifth-year guard did not participate in pregame warmups.

Ionescu is averaging 19.9 points per game, slightly more than Stewart, the reigning WNBA MVP.

The Liberty host the Connecticut Sun on Saturday in a matchup of the teams with the two best records in the WNBA. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Wings take on the Los Angeles Sparks, who share the league’s worst record, on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.