The New York Liberty allowed four three-pointers from the Los Angeles Sparks in the first quarter, but took control of the three-point range for the rest of the game. The Liberty went 14-of-28 from deep with Jonquel Jones leading the way, making four of her five attempts.
While Jones racked up points from downtown to tally 21 in the game, Emma Meesseman rallied in the paint and finished with a team-high 24 points. Los Angeles had four starters score at least 16 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Liberty’s 105-97 victory.
Los Angeles’ Kelsey Plum and Jones both notched the first points for their team, and their scoring didn’t slow down in the game. They both led their team at halftime with Jones’ 14 points and Plum’s 12.
Meesseman’s chemistry is starting to be noticeable in her fifth game as a Liberty. Meesseman and Jones combined for New York’s first 14 points, and all but one of her shots in the first quarter were assisted, with the sole exception being a put-back at the buzzer.
The Liberty took a 14-7 lead at the 6:44 mark of the opening frame before other Sparks stepped up to aid Plum. The help came, and after a back-and-forth battle, an 8-0 Los Angeles run gave it the 26-23 lead with less than two minutes to go.
New York went into the second quarter trailing 30-28 but Sabrina Ionescu knocked down a triple to snatch back the lead. The Liberty held the Sparks to just 14 points, while also not letting their offense drop. Rae Burrell came off the bench with six points in the frame in an attempt to push her team back in front.
Dearica Hamby made back-to-back shots to cut the deficit to 47-44 with 1:40 left before halftime, looking like Burrell’s hopes were coming true. However, Ionescu put that to sleep with another three, and neither team added more points in the period.
The Sparks weren’t giving up and Hamby and Azurá Stevens forced two consecutive steals and Hamby capitalized on both with a bucket to put the score at 60-55 with 6:17 left in the third quarter. The Liberty took a timeout, and Leonie Fiebich connected on a three to keep the advantage.
Fiebich scored 10 of her 20 points in the third period, shooting 4-of-5 from the floor with two makes from deep.
Los Angeles continued trying to chip away at its deficit, but New York held firm, never letting the score get within one possession. Plum and New York’s Natasha Cloud both took their luck inside the paint. The guards both capitalized on driving inside, and Cloud contributed six points, while Plum added nine, with five coming from the free throw line.
The Liberty allowed the Sparks to score 15 fast-break points in the game, partly due to their 12 turnovers, which have troubled them throughout the season. Los Angeles never halted its attempts to get on top and only stopped once Cloud was dribbling out the clock with the 105-97 lead, and Julie Vanloo shook her hand to close out the final seconds.
