Natasha Cloud and Sabrina Ionescu lift the Liberty to an 89-79 win over the Sparks
NEW YORK (AP) — Natasha Cloud scored 11 of her 23 points in the third quarter and sparked a huge run to lead the New York Liberty to an 89-79 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night.
Breanna Stewart added 17 points and 14 rebounds and Sabrina Ionescu had 20 points for New York (12-5).
The defending champion Liberty trailed 53-42 midway through the third before Cloud and Ionescu got going. Cloud’s three-point play sparked a 13-0 run and then Ionescu scored 10 straight points for New York to give the Liberty a 63-59 advantage.
New York extended its lead to 69-59 by the end of the period. Los Angeles (5-13) cut it to five with 3:30 left before Leonie Fiebich hit a 3-pointer to seal the win.
The Liberty’s win coupled with Phoenix’s loss to Dallas made New York coach Sandy Brondello one of the two All-Star coaches. Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve will coach the other All-Star squad because the Lynx and Liberty have the best records in the league at the cutoff date to name coaches for the All-Star Game in Indianapolis on July 19.
Dearica Hamby scored 25 points to lead Los Angeles, which got a boost with the return of Rae Burrell. She saw her first action since injuring her knee in the opener. She checked in late in the first quarter and played 12 minutes, finishing with five points.
The game also marked the debut of Julie Vanloo, whom the Sparks picked up off waivers two hours before tip-off. She came in early in the second quarter and played two minutes.
New York was still missing star forward Jonquel Jones, who has been sidelined with a sprained ankle. Jones told reporters on Wednesday that she’s progressing well, but didn’t want to put a timetable on her return. The Liberty welcomed back Fiebich, who had been playing for Germany in the EuroBasket tournament over the last few weeks.
Los Angeles built a 41-37 halftime lead behind 10 points from Hamby. Stewart had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Liberty guard Marine Johannes had two standout plays in the first half. She hit a 3-pointer off one foot as the shot clock ran out, and later made a no-look, behind-the-back pass to Stewart for a layup.
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