The New York Liberty wanted to take momentum into the playoffs and that goal looked promising after it jumped out to a double-digit lead early in the game against the Chicago Sky on Thursday night. New York didn’t let up the entire night to secure the 91-86 victory.
The Liberty took command right out of the game, jumping out to a 13-2 lead after just three minutes of action. They made 58% of their shots from the field in the first quarter and capitalized off open players finding the basket off of back cuts.
The Sky didn’t have the same success in the first 10 minutes. They made just 26% of their shots and looked desperate the entire frame. Kamilla Cardoso was trying her hardest to find the bottom of the net but only managed four points in the quarter, however that was the most at the time for Chicago.
The second quarter started to tell a different story. The Sky began to figure their game out and went 11-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-6 from three-point range. Cardoso also settled in and started the charge at a comeback attempt.
Cardoso tallied seven points in the second quarter and totaled 21 in the game. However, she ended up not being Chicago’s biggest impact in the game. Maddy Westbeld became crucial for the Sky off the bench.
New York committed its first turnover of the night at the 7:54 mark of the second quarter. Natasha Cloud sent a bad pass that Westbeld grabbed. Westbeld found Kia Nurse, who knocked down a triple to cut Chicago’s deficit to 31-19.
The Sky continued their momentum and brought the score to 36-30 halfway through the frame. The Liberty locked in from there and snatched back the controls. New York scored 20 points to Chicago’s nine, with 10 points in the run coming from Emma Meesseman.
The Liberty were in a groove to end the second quarter until Chicago’s Michaela Onyenwere knocked down a three, hoping the energy was going to carry into the second half.
The Sky attempted to set the pace to start the third quarter and did so with a triple. However, New York wasn’t a fan of its dwindling lead so Breanna Stewart flipped the switch. She scored six straight points for her squad to put the lead back at a comfortable 66-49.
Chicago tried to crawl its way back into the game but it couldn’t find an answer to stop the Liberty as it went into the final quarter trailing 78-58.
Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello determined they were secure enough with their lead and gave the starters a rest. Sabrina Ionescu was the only one in the starting lineup to see the court in the fourth quarter and it was just for 2:37. The reserves were the stars from there.
Rebekah Gardner was critical off New York’s bench. She recorded 15 points with her lone miss in the game coming from the free-throw line in the second quarter. She didn’t put all her focus on scoring and added three steals and two rebounds.
The Sky saw they were matched up against the bench and tried to take advantage. They increased their play on both sides of the court to execute an 18-3 run to cut their deficit to 88-81 with 1:43 left in the game.
Chicago couldn’t top the Liberty from there, but that didn’t seem to be the goal anymore. The Sky looked energized and like they were just having fun with their teammates in their final game of the season as they didn’t make the playoffs.
Westbeld ended the game with a triple to notch a career-high 25 points on 8-of-12 field goals and 5-of-6 threes. The rookie also added seven rebounds and three assists. Despite the scoreboard reading 91-86 with the Sky on the wrong side, they couldn’t have looked happier.
New York now looks to the big picture goal – repeating as WNBA Champions. The No. 5 Liberty will face the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury in the first round of the playoffs on Sept. 14.
