NEW YORK (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu scored 22 points and Jonquel Jones added 20 to help the New York Liberty beat the Phoenix Mercury 81-78 on Wednesday night.
New York (5-2) trailed 74-71 late in the fourth quarter before going on a 9-0 run, including four points by Jones to take control.
Her layup with 2:12 left started the spurt and she hit two free throws with 1:09 left that gave New York a 76-74 lead. After a stop, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton hit a tough foul line jumper with 30 seconds left giving the Liberty a four-point cushion.
Phoenix (3-4) couldn’t recover.
DREAM 73, MYSTICS 67
WASHINGTON (AP) — Allisha Gray scored 19 points, Tina Charles had 17 points and 15 rebounds, and Atlanta beat winless Washington.
Washington (0-7) is off to its worst start since 2007, when it set a franchise record with eight straight losses. The Mystics head on the road for games against the New York Liberty and the undefeated Connecticut Sun.
Gray made a steal and fast-break layup to extend Atlanta’s lead to 63-58 midway through the fourth quarter.
ACES 80, LYNX 66
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A’ja Wilson had 29 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, Jackie Young added 19 points and 10 assists, and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Minnesota Lynx 80-66 on Wednesday night.
Las Vegas had its nine-point halftime lead trimmed to 56-54 with 1:28 left in the third quarter before Kate Martin sank a corner 3-pointer from the corner and Wilson beat the third-quarter buzzer with a layup for a 62-56 advantage.
The Aces continued to pull away in the fourth by extending their run to 20-5 to make it 77-61.
Kelsey Plum scored 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting for Las Vegas (4-1). Alysha Clark and Martin each finished with nine points.
The Associated Press
