New York Liberty beat Washington Mystics 90-79 with Sabrina Ionescu scoring 24 points

On Friday night, the New York Liberty defeated the Washington Mystics 90-79 thanks to a late scoring burst led by Sabrina Ionescu, who finished with 24 points, and Kayla Thornton, who added 20. The Liberty were led by Jonquel Jones' 16 points and Breanna Stewart's 18 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. After playing for at least thirty minutes, all of New York's starters scored eighty-six points.

Washington went 2 1/2 minutes without scoring, New York added a pair of three-pointers, and the Liberty hit six free throws in the final 90 seconds to secure the victory. Washington was led by Ariel Atkins (15 points), Shakira Austin (12), Myisha Hines-Allen (11), and Jade Melbourne (11).

Thornton's 3-pointer gave the Liberty its highest lead of the third quarter, 64-56, with roughly 4 minutes remaining. Atkins subsequently converted a three-pointer and one of two free throws, bringing the score to 64-60.

Mystics went on an 8–0 run

The Mystics closed to 64-62 before Jones sank a three-pointer for New York, but Washington's Julie Vanloo nailed a three with five seconds remaining to make it 70-67 heading into the third session. With almost three minutes remaining in the first half, the Liberty led 46–32. However, the Mystics went on an 8–0 run sparked by a 3-pointer from Hines-Allen. After her 3-pointer, Hines-Allen made a step-up layup, and Vanloo made another 3-pointer to put the score 46–40.

With 17 seconds remaining, Hines-Allen sank two free throws to bring Washington within 49-45 at the half. In the first half, she finished with nine points, four rebounds, and two assists off the bench. In the first quarter, the Liberty scored 32 points, making 11 of their 19 field goal attempts. Ionescu finished the quarter with 15 points and three 3-pointers.