BRADENTON, FLA. —August, 2, 2020— Despite cutting the Mercury’s lead to as little as two points in the third quarter, New York fell to Phoenix on Sunday afternoon, 96-67.
After the conclusion of the game, the official scorers determined that New York finished with 67 total points, rather than 66. The extra point was for a Kia Nurse free throw, which increased her total points to 17.
New York was without rookie guard and No. 1 overall pick Sabrina Ionescu due to an ankle sprain injury that she suffered against the Atlanta Dream last Friday. Her timeline for return to the hardwood is still yet to be determined by physicians.
Coming off of an ankle sprain that caused her to miss Friday’s game, All Star guard Kia Nurse led New York in scoring with a season-high 17 points on 100% (8-8) shooting from the free throw line. Veteran guard Layshia Clarendon and Swedish center Amanda Zahui B also scored in double figures adding 12 and 11, respectively.
UP NEXT:
Coaches Walt Hopkins and Shelley Patterson will meet their former team, the Minnesota Lynx and former Liberty head coach Katie Smith on Wednesday, August 5, 2020. Tip-off is set for 7 PM ET on CBSSN/YES Network/ FSGO.
KEY STATS:
#SayHerName: It has been 142 days since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her own apartment. The officers responsible for her death have not been arrested.
New York shot 89.7% (26-29) from the free throw line. Eight of 12 of the Liberty’s first quarter points were from the charity stripe. The only players to score field goals in the first quarter were Kylee Shook and Leaonna Odom.
Each active Liberty player scored at least 2 points in today’s contest.
KEY RUNS:
#SayHerName: It has been 142 days since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her own apartment. The officers responsible for her death have not been arrested.
1Q: Despite the Mercury’s 5-0 run to open the game, New York fought back thanks to four made free throws in the first five minutes of the game. Phoenix outscored the Liberty 25-12 in the first quarter.
2Q: None.
3Q: The Liberty opened the third on a 15-11 run to cut the Phoenix lead to 12. New York continued to battle back, and was just two points shy of tying the contest with 2:08 remaining in the third (53-55). However, Phoenix closed out the quarter with a 9-2 run.
4Q: Phoenix opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run expanding their lead to 7 with 8:33 remaining in the game. Phoenix also went on a 21-5 run midway through the fourth quarter to seal the deal. The Mercury’s 34-point quarter, tied for the most points from an opponent in a single quarter this season (DAL, 2Q, 7/29/20), allowed them to finish the game with their largest lead of the afternoon, 29.
LIBERTY NOTES:
#SayHerName: It has been 142 days since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her own apartment. The officers responsible for her death have not been arrested.
The Liberty committed 14 turnovers today against the Mercury, the least for the team this season.
Kia Nurse returned to the starting lineup after an ankle sprain injury. She recorded a season high 17 points and shot perfectly (8-8) from the free throw line.
New York outscored Phoenix in the second (16-15) and third (28-21) quarters, which cut Phoenix’s lead to as little as two points.
After a slow start, the Liberty’s 29-point third quarter was the most the team has scored in a single quarter this season.
Before fouling out of the contest, Amanda Zahui B added 11 points and 6 rebounds to the Liberty effort.
Kiah Stokes connected on her third career three-pointer today, hitting a three to bring the Liberty within 10 with 4:32 remaining in the third.
The Liberty’s 30 missed three-point attempts is the most by one team in a WNBA game in league history. This surpasses the previous record set by today’s opponent, the Phoenix Mercury, on September 8, 2007 (28).
At the 4:51 mark in the first quarter, New York unveiled an all-rookie lineup on the floor (Jones, Walker, Odom, Shook and Holmes). This is the first time a WNBA team has done so since the Dallas Wings on July 30, 2017.