Mystics End the Liberty's Undefeated Start, 72-101, in D.C.
| GAME LEADERS | NEW YORK | WASHINGTON |
| POINTS | Betnijah Laney (20) | Tina Charles (34) |
| REBOUNDS | Sami Whitcomb (7) | Erica McCall (13) |
| ASSISTS | Ionescu, Laney (5) | Natasha Cloud (8) |
TEAM NOTABLES
On the road, the New York Liberty (3-1) fell to the Washington Mystics (1-2), 72-101, in their first meeting of the season. Washington’s 101 points tied a team record for total single-game points against the Liberty (last: 8/25/19).
For the fourth consecutive game, Betnijah Laney scored 20 or more points, finishing with 20. The only Liberty players to score 20 in 4+ consecutive games are Tina Charles (6 streaks, long of 9 straight in 2016) and Cappie Pondexter (also 6 different streaks of 4+, long of 5 done three times).
Tonight, Laney became the first Liberty player to open a season with four games of 20+ points in franchise history.
In the nation’s capital, New York shot 43.1% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc. The team connected on 71.4% of free throws; a season low.
The visiting Liberty finished the contest with 28 rebounds and were outrebounded by the Mystics by 14 (Mystics finished with 42 total). The New York Liberty recorded 18 assists, 3 less than Mystics’ 21.
Up Next: The New York Liberty will continue the first two-game road trip of the 2021 season, and travel to Chicago. Tip-off is Sunday, May 23rd at 1 pm ET/12 pm CT on ESPN.
PLAYER NOTABLES
For the fourth consecutive game, Betnijah Laney (20) and Sabrina Ionescu (10) each scored in double figures for New York. Ionescu recorded 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and Laney totaled 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Kylee Shook scored in double figures for the second consecutive game, finishing with a career-high 11 points on 71.4% (5-7) shooting from the field.
Rebecca Allen and Sami Whitcomb each added 9 points in the contest, all of which were three-pointers. Whitcomb also grabbed a team-high 7 boards on the night.
Washington forward/center Tina Charles led the Mystics in scoring and rebounding with a season-high 34 points. Before tonight, the most points scored by a Mystics player in a single game against the Liberty was 32 by Matee Ajavon (at Washington, 8/6/11).
Washington guard Ariel Atkins added 25 points on 66.7% (8-12) shooting from the field and 5-7 from deep.
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