By Justin “Say Say” Rivers
Betnijah Laney and the New York Liberty (11-20, 10th in WNBA Standings & 1.5 GB of final Playoff Spot) return home to take on the WNBA’s leading scorer Tina Charles and the Washington Mystics (12-18, 8th in WNBA Standings) in their regular season finale.
Last game, the Liberty concluded their four-game road trip in the Constitution State against the Connecticut Sun. In the contest, three Liberty players scored in double figures: Natasha Howard (25), Michaela Onyenwere (14), Sabrina Ionescu (12).
In her first matchup against the Sun this season, Natasha Howard dropped a game-high 25 points on 10-for-18 (55.6%) shooting from the field, including 1-for-3 (33.3%) from deep and a perfect 4-for-4 (100%) from the charity stripe. Her performance was further complimented by her team-high eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals.
Three-time Rookie of the Month honoree Michaela Onyenwere came off the bench and scored 14 points on 5-for-6 (83.3%) shooting from the field and 2-for-3 (66.7%) from three-point range. In the first half, the Rookie of the Year frontrunner finished with 12 points on a perfect 5-for-5 (100%) shooting from the field.
Finishing with 12 points, five assists, and four rebounds, Sabrina Ionescu had yet another all-around performance. Wednesday night’s 12-point outing marked her 19th double-digit scoring game this season, and tenth consecutive 10+-point outing following the Olympic break.
Now, the team will look to capitalize on these solid individual performances by carrying them over into their must-win home matchup against the Mystics on Friday night.
TOP PERFORMERS
In two matchups against Washington this season, Betnijah Laney is averaging 19.5 points per game on 16-for-32 (50%) shooting from the field, including 3-for-8 (37.5%) from beyond the three-point arc and 4-for-4 (100%) from the charity stripe. She is also averaging four rebounds and four assists in these contests.
Like Laney, 2020 No. 1 overall pick Sabrina Ionescu has also showcased her all-around game against the Mystics this season. Highlighted by her 15-point performance in the team’s 82-79 victory on July 3rd, the second-year guard is averaging 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and five assists per game. She is also shooting 9-for-16 (56.3%) versus Washington.
In their last game against the Mystics, Jazmine Jones came off the bench and tied her season-high for scoring with 17 points, 15 of which came in the second half and 10 of which came in the fourth quarter. Her infectious energy and hustle, which included her best Simone Biles impersonation, galvanized the Liberty offense in the second half and powered them to a three-point victory.
Against the Liberty this season, Tina Charles is averaging 32.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game and shooting 25-for-45 (55.6%) from the field.
BOTTOM LINE
Coming off Wednesday night’s game at Connecticut, New York is now 11-20, tenth in the WNBA standings, and 1.5 games back of Washington for the eighth and final playoff spot. This season, the Liberty and the Mystics have split the first two games in their three-game season series, and, with them separated by less than two games in the standings, both could use the head-to-head tiebreaker that would come with a win on Friday night.
To make the playoffs, New York now not only needs to beat the Mystics, but also need Washington to lose its regular season finale to the Lynx and Los Angeles to lose its season finale against the Dallas Wings.