The New York Liberty defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 96-89 in a comeback win at Barclays Center on Thursday, Sept. 7, powered by Most Valuable Player candidate Breanna Stewart, who totaled 25 points and 9 rebounds.
Liberty forward Betnijah Laney contributed 20 points, while reserve center Stefanie Dolson scored 17 points on perfect 5-5 shooting from 3-point range in the second half to push the Liberty past the Sparks and help extend New York's winning streak to 8 games.
The Sparks were paced by guard Layshia Clarendon, the game-leading scorer, who finished with a career-high of 30 points.
More than 6,000 people watched a Liberty win at Barclays Center that was in doubt until the fourth quarter when Dolson’s barrage from beyond the 3-point line helped push the Liberty’s record to 14-1 since the beginning of August.
The Sparks raced out to a 14-point lead in the first half as the team fought for the final spot in the Women's National Basketball Association playoffs, which will begin on Sept. 13.
The Sparks had six players who had to sit this game out to rest, including their leading scorer and WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwumike, who was out for a third consecutive game on Thursday due to knee pain.
The Sparks went into intermission with a 50-43 lead, paced by 12 points from guard Clarendon, with three other LA starters hitting double figures before half-time.
Two quick fouls forced Liberty coach Sandy Brondello to pull center Jonquel Jones from the game in the first quarter, but a 3-point display from Dolson, who finished 6-7 for the game, helped off-set a low-scoring night from former MVP Jones.
The game was highlighted by Sabrina Ionescu breaking the WNBA record of 3s made in a season with her 122nd 3-pointer at the 7:14 mark in the third quarter. Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury previously held the record.
The 3-point outburst was a step in the right direction for the Liberty bench that needed to step up in the wake of Jones' inconsistent scoring, which didn't affect the former MVP’s leadership as she directed players on the defensive end. A 28-8 Liberty run from the 1:04 mark of the third to the 2:41 mark of the fourth quarter was the catalyst for the Liberty’s come-from-behind win and likely dropped the Sparks out of the playoffs.
When asked about her unlikely 3-point burst during the courtside press conference, Dolson said, “I’m just happy that I could be that spark off the bench. We need offense and happy I could give it to us.”
