Breanna Stewart scored 16 of her 24 in the first half, Sabrina Ionescu added 11 points with 11 assists and the playoff-bound New York Liberty concluded the regular season with a third consecutive victory, 91-86 over the host Chicago Sky on Thursday night.
Rebekah Gardner added 15 points for a healthy New York (27-17) squad, which shot 49.3 percent and recorded 26 assists on 34 field goals to build momentum entering the postseason as the No. 5 seed. Stewart, who did not play when the Liberty fell 91-85 to the visiting Sky on Aug. 21, shot 9-of-14 and added six rebounds.
Rookie Maddy Westbeld went 5-of-6 from 3-point range and had a career-high 25 points, while Kamilla Cardoso scored 21 for Chicago (10-34).
The Sky made 12 3-pointers but closed a severely disappointing season by losing four straight and 21 of 24. The Sky owned a 28-13 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter with New York’s starters on the bench.
Sky star Angel Reese finished her second WNBA season by missing the final four games due to a combination of suspensions and back issues. The team is left at a potential crossroads with Reese, who earned a portion of her suspension by calling out the current state of a franchise that set a single-season club record for losses in 2025.
The Liberty took control early with an 11-0 run, highlighted by five points from Ionescu, to lead 13-2. New York went 11-of-19 from the field in the first quarter, with Stewart, Ionescu and Jonquel Jones combining for 20 points as it led 28-11 after the opening period.
Chicago, though, scored 12 of the first 15 points in the second quarter, and later on Westbeld’s bucket made it 36-30. Rebecca Allen’s 3-pointer then got the Sky within 43-36 with 2:22 left in the first half.
But New York used another 11-0 surge to regain control. Stewart concluded that run by posting an old-fashioned three-point play, then knocking down a shot from distance.
The Liberty shot 55.3 percent in the first half and led by 14. They went on to lead by as many as 23 before the Sky closed strong.
–Field Level Media
