Backup forward Isabelle Harrison, who hadn’t played since Aug. 10 due to a concussion, scored a team-high 16 points as the host New York Liberty defeated the Washington Mystics 89-63 on Thursday night.
The Liberty also got 15 points from Emma Meesseman; 14 from Marine Johannes; 12 from Breanna Stewart; and 11 from reserve Stephanie Talbot.
Stewart was playing one day after her 31st birthday. The Liberty (24-15) are 2-0 since the return of Stewart, who had missed 13 games due to a knee injury.
New York won despite playing without three injured starters: point guard Natasha Cloud missed her second straight game due to a fractured nose; and center Jonquel Jones (illness) and shooting guard Sabrina Ionescu (toe) were out with new issues.
In addition, backup center Nyara Sabally remains out due to a knee injury.
Johannes is the only player to appear in all 39 Liberty games.
New York improved to 16-5 at home and 3-0 overall this season against Washington.
The Mystics (16-23) have lost five straight games, their longest skid of the season. The Mystics are now 6-13 on the road.
Rookie guard Sonia Citron led the Mystics with 18 points, but she had just three in the second half. Kiki Iriafen added 16 points.
Mystics forward Shakira Austin, who was coming off a career-high 30-point game on Sunday, was held to seven points. She went 0-for-7 from the floor during a scoreless first half.
Washington shot 50 percent from the floor in the first, leading 20-18 at the end of the quarter. The keys for the Mystics: a 10-4 edge on paint points and a 4-0 advantage on offensive boards.
New York flipped the script in the second quarter, winning the paint-points battle 10-8 and doing the same on offensive rebounds (3-1). That resulted in the Liberty taking a 43-37 lead at halftime.
The Liberty stretched their lead to 62-49 after three quarters, and New York put the game away in the fourth.
For the game, the Liberty shot 50 percent from the floor, including 10-for-21 on 3-pointers (47.6 percent). New York also won the rebound battle, 35-22.
–Field Level Media
