TEAM NOTABLES
On Friday, the New York Liberty (1-6) fell to the Seattle Storm (4-3), 79-71, in the first game of their 2022 three-game season series.
At Climate Pledge Arena, the Liberty finished on 33.8% (24-71) shooting from the field, 28.1% (9-32) from three, and 100% (14-14) at the free throw line.
In the third quarter, New York made seven of their ten attempts from behind the three-point arc. Entering the contest, New York had only made seven-plus threes in a single quarter once in franchise history (June 25, 2010 vs. Tulsa Shock).
The Liberty also pulled down a season-high 50 rebounds in the game, 15 of which marked a season-high in offensive rebounds. New York’s 50 total rebounds tied for sixth most single-game rebounds in franchise history.
Up Next: The New York Liberty will remain in the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Storm on Sunday, May 29 at 6 p.m. ET.
KEY RUNS
Q1: The Liberty went on an 8-0 run from the 9:27 mark in the first to the 6:15 mark. Seattle responded with a 14-6 run from the 5:24 mark through the end of the period.
Q2: The Storm opened the quarter on a 17-6 run through the 2:26 mark of the quarter.
Q3: The Liberty exploded en route to a 14-2 run from the 3:05 mark through the end of the third.
Q4: New York went on a 9-0 run from the 6:03 mark to the 1:58 mark of the fourth.
OT: The Storm opened OT on an 8-2 run through the 1:37 mark and outscored the Liberty 12-4 in the period.
PLAYER NOTABLES
Four Liberty players scored in double figures in tonight’s game (Howard, Han, Dolson, Allen).
For the second-straight game, Natasha Howard led the Liberty in scoring with a team-high 19 points on 57.1% (8-14) shooting from the field, including 60% (3-5) from beyond the arc. Howard also finished with nine rebounds and two steals against her former team.
Han Xu recorded her fourth double-digit scoring game of the season, finishing tied for a career-high with 12 points and a career-high eight rebounds.
Stefanie Dolson finished with 11 points on an 42.9% (3-7) from the field, including 100% (1-1) from deep and 100% (4-4) from the charity stripe. This was Dolson’s third double-digit scoring performance of the season.
In her second start of the season, Rebecca Allen finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three blocks.
Sami Whitcomb flirted with a triple-double, finishing with eight points, a season-high eight rebounds, and a team-high eight assists in an all-around performance. Her eight-assist night was one shy of the career-high nine that she set last game, and her eight rebounds also came one shy of a career-high set last season against the Sparks.
With her eight-point performance, Sabrina Ionescu eclipsed the 500-career-points mark in her 40th career game. She is the second-fastest player in franchise history to reach 500 career points (Sophia Witherspoon, 37). She also added eight rebounds and three assists.
For Seattle, Breanna Stewart finished with 31 points and nine rebounds, and Jewell Loyd finished with 21 points.