NEW YORK LIBERTY (7-21) vs. LOS ANGELES SPARKS (17-11)
Wednesday, August 8 • White Plains, NY (Westchester County Center)
7:00 PM (ET) • TV: League Pass, MSG+
The New York Liberty hung tight with the Seattle Storm for a majority of their matchup on Monday, but a late Storm surge led to a 96-80 defeat. The Liberty will look for more success against another Western Conference foe, the Los Angeles Sparks, on Wednesday night.
QUICK HITS
Tina Charles’ 19.6 points per game rank seventh the league (as of 8/7).
Charles’ 7.2 rebounds per game slot her 10th in the league (as of 8/7).
Kia Nurse’s ranks top-10 among rookies with 8.8 points per game (as of 8/7).
Nurse is shooting 87.1 percent from the free throw line, good for seventh in the league (as of 8/7).
Brittany Boyd’s 5.3 assists per contest rank fifth in the WNBA (as of 8/7).
Boyd ranks top-10 in the league in steals per game with 1.4 (as of 8/7).
Bria Hartley ranks top-15 in the league with 3.7 assists per game (as of 8/7).
The Sparks have had the Liberty’s number of late, winning six of their last seven regular season matchups.
KEY MATCHUP
Brittany Boyd and Chelsea Gray have been two of the best in the league at dishing the rock this season; the floor generals rank fifth and fourth in assists per game, respectively. In the first matchup this season between the Liberty and the Sparks, Gray had the upper hand, doling out 11 helpers contrasting Boyd’s eight.
LAST MEETING
On June 24, 2018, Riquna Williams scored 25 points off the bench, including seven threes, as the Sparks coasted to an 80-54 victory over the Liberty.
The Sparks led from the tip until the final buzzer, and they led by as many as 31. Nneka Ogwumike added a double-double to the cause, finishing with 12 points and 10 boards.
Amanda Zahui B led the Liberty with a career-high 21 points off the bench, while Tina Charles chipped in 10.
PROFESSOR VAUGHN’S HISTORY CLASS
With her first rebound of the game, the 751st of her Liberty career, Kia Vaughn moved into fifth in franchise history on the glass, surpassing a current member of the Liberty staff, Teresa Weatherspoon. The contest itself was her 183rd in a New York uniform; she now ranks eighth in franchise history in games played.
DIME A HUNDRED
With her first of five assists in Monday’s matchup against the Storm, Bria Hartley hit 100 for the season, reaching the benchmark for the second time in her career. She joined fellow Liberty guard Brittany Boyd above the century mark, making New York one of just three teams with multiple players with more than 100 assists this season.
ZAHUI AT THE BEST OF TIMES
Against the Storm, Amanda Zahui B finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds (a new career-high), notching her first ever double-double. The former second overall pick continues to have a breakout season— with six games to play, she has already set a career-high in points scored by more than 50.
STARTING REINFORCEMENTS
Due in large part to injuries, the Liberty starting unit has shuffled around quite a bit this season. Against the Storm, Kia Nurse got the starting nod for the first time in her career, and the rookie did not disappoint. She co-led the Liberty with 20 points on 66.7 percent shooting from the field, her third highest output of the season.