All-Star starter Breanna Stewart scored a season-high 36 points as the host New York Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx 99-86 on Friday night.
New York (13-8) got good support from Sabrina Ionescu (17 points, six assists), Jonquel Jones (14 points, a game-high 15 rebounds and five assists), rookie Pauline Astier (14 points, six assists) and Leonie Fiebich (13 points, four assists).
The Lynx, who still have the best record in the WNBA at 15-5, were led by Rookie of the Year front-runner Olivia Miles, who had 14 points — all but two before halftime — and five assists. Miles and teammate Natasha Howard were also named All-Star starters on Thursday.
However, Howard was held to seven points on 3-for-10 shooting.
The Lynx – who are tied with Las Vegas for the best road record in the league at 9-2 – also got 18 points from Kayla McBride and 16 points from Courtney Williams.
New York led 26-22 after a first quarter that featured 16 points on 7-for-7 shooting by Stewart. The Liberty missed their first four shots and then made 11 in a row, leading by as many as 12 points. The Lynx did well to stay close given the Liberty making 61.1% of their first-quarter field goals.
Midway through the second quarter, Minnesota took a 40-39 lead on two Miles free throws before the Liberty closed the quarter on a 13-2 run to take a 59-49 advantage into halftime.
Stewart scored 18 first-half points, while Miles had 12 points and five assists. New York shot 64.7% from the floor. Minnesota shot 40.9% but stayed in the game by outscoring New York 13-5 on second-chance points behind eight offensive rebounds.
In the third quarter, Stewart scored 11 points as New York stretched its lead to 78-65. Miles was held to two points in the third.
New York added to its lead midway through the fourth, going up 85-68, and the Liberty cruised from there.
For the game, New York shot 58.1% to 40% for Minnesota.
–Field Level Media
