By Justin “Say Say” Rivers

The New York Liberty (11-15, 3^rd in Eastern Conference) will attempt to close out their five-game homestand with a victory as they look to conclude their three-game season series against the Phoenix Mercury (14-10, 4^th in Western Conference) with a win.

Last game, New York took on the Mercury in the opener of their two-game set. In the matchup, the team tied a season-low in total turnovers and out-scored the opposition in both points in the paint and fast break points. In total, New York finished with four double-digit scorers: Betnijah Laney (20), DiDi Richards (14), Rebecca Allen (12), and Sabrina Ionescu (10).

With her 20-point, eight-rebound, five-assist night, 2021 WNBA All-Star Betnijah Laney scored 20+ points for the 13th time this season and tied with Rebecca Allen for the team high in rebounds.

2021 No. 17 overall pick DiDi Richards led the Liberty bench’s scoring reaching career-highs of 14 points on 5-for-8 (62.5%) shooting from the field and 4-for-5 (80%) from deep in just over 25 minutes of play, which was also a season-high. After missing her only three-point attempt at Baylor, Richards has yet attempted 15 triples in her rookie campaign and is so far connecting on a 53.3% clip.

In her seventh start of the season, Rebecca Allen scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game. She finished with 12 points on 3-for-8 (37.5%) shooting from behind the three-point arc, a season-high eight rebounds, and three steals. In the last four games, she has gone 16-for-25 (64%) from three-point range.

2020 No. 1 overall pick Sabrina Ionescu tallied 10 points, a team-high seven assists and five rebounds. This is her 14th game scoring in double figures this season, and fifth consecutive 10+ point game post-Olympic break.

The Liberty will attempt to capitalize off of these solid individual performances against the Mercury.

PLAYER TO WATCH: BETNIJAH LANEY

The Liberty go as their 2021 All-Star Betnijah Laney goes. This season, the team is 1-6 when she scores less than 15 points in a game; however, they are above .500 when she eclipses the 20-point plateau in a game. Her all-around game catalyzes the Liberty offense. This season, the 2020 WNBA Most Improved Player is averaging 17.9 point, 5.2 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. She is top-10 in per game scoring, clutch scoring, and assists.

Against Phoenix this season, she’s averaging 21.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 7.5 rebounds with an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 7.5. In their first matchup, her 10-assist performance not only secured her second double-double in seafoam, but also set the franchise record for single-game assists against the Mercury.

Laney will look to continue her hot play against Phoenix tonight as New York attempts to close out their season series with a win.

PLAYOFF PUSH

With six games remaining in their regular season, the Liberty are the third-ranked team in the conference standings and the eighth-ranked team in the league standings. They are two games back of the Sky for second in the conference and sixth in the WNBA standings.

Going into Friday’s rubber match, New York continues to be the league’s best three-point shooting team despite their three-game skid. Their 271 Three-Pointers Made leads the WNBA and is nearly 40 more than the second-ranked Storm (234). Plus, they lead the league in Three-Point Attempts (28.3) and Three-Pointers Made (10.4) per game and are top-3 in Three-Point Percentage (36.8), too.

Given how prolific the team can be from beyond the arc, they can walk into any gym and beat any team in the league, including the Mercury on Friday.

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