NEW YORK — Even with Brittney Griner, the Phoenix Mercury didn’t have enough to match the Liberty.
The Liberty took down the Mercury — who were without Griner in the first matchup between the two teams — on Wednesday night at Barclays Center. The home team came out victorious again, 99-95, as the Mercury suffered their seventh loss in eight games.
Liberty coach Sandy Brondello talked pregame about having respect for struggling teams like the Mercury, who now own the WNBA’s worst record at 3-13, since their eagerness to win makes them “dangerous.”
The Mercury almost proved Brondello right, but the away team’s inability to get stops down the stretch cost them.
The game went down to the wire as the score was tied at 90 with 2:30 remaining. Breanna Stewart, who led the way with 43 points, knocked down three free throws to break the tie and again hit a go-ahead layup with 1:19 remaining. She added 12 rebounds and six assists.
Brondello went back to her superstar forward in the final seconds. The coach drew up a play to get Stewart an attempt at the basket, which was successful and served as the dagger.
Defense wasn’t a priority Wednesday night, as both teams shot around 50% for the majority of the game. They traded buckets up until the end. The first-quarter difference, 26-13 in favor of the Liberty, proved to be too much for the Mercury to come back from.
Brondello’s team got its first look at Griner this season. She missed the first matchup due to a hip injury, but she got plenty of attention on the offensive end. Griner was double-teamed after receiving an entry pass on almost every possession. The extra attention still didn’t slow down the elite big.
She finished with 21 points and eight rebounds. It was her first game in New York since being released from a Russian penal colony.
Griner was her usual elite self, even getting easy buckets against capable defender Jonquel Jones.
Diana Taurasi contributed 23 points and seven assists for the Mercury. Her clutch buckets kept Phoenix close in the second half each time the Liberty attempted to pull away from the game. Former Liberty forward Michaela Onyenwere added 14 points on 50% shooting.
Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney and Jones all scored in double-digits on Wednesday.
Laney has been connecting on opportunities created from her teammates all season and the same happened against the Mercury.
She shot 6 of 10 from the field and scored 14 points.
The Liberty will now look to stretch their winning streak to three when they take on the Seattle Storm on Saturday.
