Emma Meesseman scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Jonquel Jones added 21 points with 11 rebounds as the New York Liberty opened a three-game road trip with a 105-97 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday.
Leonie Fiebich scored 20 points and Sabrina Ionescu added 14 points with six assists as the Liberty (21-11) avenged a 101-99 loss at home to the Sparks on July 26.
New York was without second-leading scorer and leading rebounder Breanna Stewart (knee) for the eighth consecutive game, while Nyara Sabally (knee) and Isabelle Harrison (concussion) also were out.
Kelsey Plum scored 26 points and Dearica Hamby added 21 points with eight rebounds as the Sparks lost for just the third time in their past 12 games.
Azura Stevens scored 17 points and Rickea Jackson added 16 as Los Angeles (15-17) was attempting to reach .500 for the first time since being 1-1 through two games.
The Sparks roared out to a 30-point first quarter but scored only 14 in the second quarter when they shot 37.5 percent from the floor and went 1 of 5 from 3-point range.
The Liberty led 50-44 at halftime behind 54.1 percent shooting, with Jones’ 14 points leading the way.
The Sparks pulled to within 74-70 with 1:36 remaining in the third quarter before the Liberty went into the fourth with a 78-72 advantage.
A 3-pointer from Julie Vanloo got Los Angeles to within 78-75 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter before New York took control with a 9-2 run to lead 87-77 with 7:19 on the clock.
The Liberty were never threatened the rest of the way, shooting 55.9 percent from the floor and going 14 of 28 from long distance for the game.
New York not only exacted payback for the loss to L.A. last month, they rebounded from an 83-71 loss to the Minnesota Lynx at home on Sunday.
The Sparks’ Cameron Brink scored two points in five first-half minutes and did not play in the second half. Brink, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2024, was playing in her seventh game since missing more than a year following knee surgery.
–Field Level Media
