TEAM NOTABLES
In their first game post-Olympic break, the New York Liberty were defeated by the Minnesota Lynx, 88-78. Tonight, the Lynx evened the season series at one win apiece, and the rubber match will be played on August 31 in Minnesota.
For the first time this season, the Liberty finished with a season-low 10 turnovers.
At Target Center, New York finished on 45.1% (32-71) shooting from the field, 30% (6-20) from three, and 72.7% (8-11) at the free throw line.
In a contest that saw ten lead changes and eight ties, New York finished with 16 team assists, 30 rebounds, seven of which were offensive and nine steals.
The Liberty tallied 38 points in the paint and capitalized on 12 points off the Lynx’s 11 turnovers.
Up Next: The New York Liberty return home to Barclays Center to take on the reigning WNBA Champion Seattle Storm for the first time this season. Tip-off is Wednesday, August 18 at 7 pm ET on CBS Sports Network.
PLAYER NOTABLES
Four Liberty players scored in double figures in tonight’s game (Howard, Ionescu, Laney, Whitcomb).
After having missed the last 15 games, Natasha Howard returned to the Liberty lineup and scored a game-high 30 points on 59% (13-22) shooting from the field, 50% (2-4) from deep and added four rebounds. She is the third Liberty player (Laney, Whitcomb) to score 30 or more points in a contest this season.
Liberty leading scorer and 2021 All-Star, Betnijah Laney, totaled 12 points on 40% (6-15) from the field along with four assists. Tonight, Betnijah scored in double figures for the 20th time through her first 22 games in Seafoam. She is currently only one of two players in the league averaging 19.0+ points and 5.0+ assists per game.
Most Improved Player Award candidate, Sami Whitcomb, scored 12 points on 33.3% (2-6) shooting from deep; her 14th double-figure scoring game this season. Whitcomb also finished with five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Sabrina Ionescu finished with 14 points on 54.5% (6-11) shooting, seven rebounds, and six assists, her 10th game scoring double figures this season.
Minnesota’s Sylvia Fowles led the Lynx in scoring with 20 points on 90% (9-10) shooting from the field and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Napheesa Collier added another double-double for the Lynx with 18 points and 10 rebounds.