Sabrina Ionescu delivered a signature fourth-quarter performance, scoring nine of her 29 points in the final minute as the New York Liberty erased a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Chicago Sky 95-94 on Wednesday night at Barclays Center.
Ionescu was nearly perfect from the floor, shooting 8-of-11 overall with five three-pointers and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. Her late-game heroics included a contested corner three while falling out of bounds, another deep triple, and a three-point play that tied the game at 94 with 15.1 seconds remaining.
Jonquel Jones then made the tiebreaking free throw with 3.4 seconds left after Kamilla Cardoso missed a layup on the other end and fouled Jones on the rebound. Jones finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double.
Breanna Stewart added 20 points and nine rebounds, while Rebecca Allen chipped in 12 points and Leonie Fiebich added 11 for New York (15-12), which showed championship resilience by flipping a seemingly insurmountable deficit.
The Sky appeared in control after Gabriela Jaquez and Sydney Taylor hit consecutive threes to start the fourth quarter, pushing Chicago's lead to 84-72 with 5:30 remaining. Taylor was unstoppable for Chicago, pouring in a career-high 31 points on the night. Courtney Vandersloot added 14 points and Cardoso contributed 10 for the Sky (9-18).
But the Liberty refused to fold. Stewart ignited the comeback with a basket, followed by three-pointers from Jones and Ionescu — the latter turning into a four-point play. When Stewart blocked Vandersloot's layup and scored at the other end, New York had clawed back to 86-85 with 2:35 to play.
The Liberty's rally from 12 points down in the final five minutes was their largest comeback of the season and underscored why they remain a formidable threat in the WNBA playoff picture despite an inconsistent regular season.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/sky-liberty-score-d2e3ef191b31cfebe7e3b2af002bbfd1
