Sabrina Ionescu has built her career on filling up stat sheets and breaking records, but on 1st August, she added two new milestones to an already outstanding resume. It all came in the 94-92 win against the Phoenix Mercury, and notably, she matched one of their players.
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She led the Liberty in scoring tonight while recording a triple-double, logging 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, helping the Liberty survive a late comeback attempt against last year’s runner-up. According to ESPN, while doing so, she logged her eighth career game with at least 50 total points created, which is the total of her points scored and points her teammates scored through her passes.
This total ties Mercury star Alyssa Thomas for the third-most in WNBA history, with only Diana Taurasi and Caitlin Clark having more at 10 and 13, respectively. But that wasn’t all.
The Liberty star also recorded her fourth career game with at least 25 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. No other player has done this more than twice.
However, she did have some bad moments in tonight’s game. With the Liberty holding an eight-point lead in the final minute of tonight’s game, the team gave up four free throws on back-to-back possessions, then Ionescu turned the ball over to Kahleah Copper. That led to a DeWanna Bonner three-pointer to cut the lead to 2.
However, the team managed to hold onto the lead to close out the game, holding onto the #8 seed with a record of 17-13. Bonner, not to be outdone, reached a record of her own with 565 career games, tying Diana Taurasi for second place while she and Thomas tallied 25 points each in the losing effort.
Liberty Erase 10-Point Deficit Behind Sabrina Ionescu’s Historic All-Around Display
Sabrina Ionescu’s record-setting night was the source of one of New York’s most outstanding comebacks this season, turning a 10-point second-half deficit into a two-point win.
Apart from Ionescu carrying the bulk of the offensive load, the team also saw Breanna Stewart log a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Han Xu added a season-high 17 points and Jonquel Jones logged 16 points and nine rebounds.
Phoenix did all they could to make the game difficult for the visitors. Other than Copper and Bonner combining for 50 points, Alyssa Thomas put up an impressive all-around performance, logging 17 points, seven assists, and six rebounds as the Mercury put their foot on the gas in the third quarter.
After the Liberty led by 13 in the first half, the Mercury did well to keep the game to a three-point deficit going into halftime.
New York had a 12-1 run of their own in the third quarter, ending with Ionescu drilling a three to put the score at 66-65 and taking a one-point lead. New York never trailed again.
Late baskets from the Liberty put the team up by eight before Phoenix mounted their final run, which New York managed to hold off. The win tonight completed the season series between the two teams, with the Liberty winning all three courtesy of their point guard putting up big numbers,