Sabrina Ionescu’s clutch 3-pointer leads Liberty past Lynx

Sabrina Ionescu delivered in the clutch as the New York Liberty held off a late Minnesota Lynx rally for an 85-75 win on Tuesday night, snapping a three-game skid against their rivals.

Ionescu finished with 17 points, a season-high 11 assists, and four rebounds, sealing the game with a deep 31-foot three-pointer while falling to the floor with 33.8 seconds left. Her shot extended New York’s lead to seven after Minnesota had cut the margin to four with just over two minutes remaining.



The Liberty (22-13) improved to 5-6 since Breanna Stewart went down with a knee injury in late July, relying heavily on Jonquel Jones, who reached two career milestones on the night.


Jones scored a game-high 22 points, pulled down 10 rebounds for her 100th career double-double, and surpassed 4,000 career points. Emma Meesseman added 13, while Natasha Cloud and Leonie Fiebich chipped in 10 apiece.


Minnesota (28-6), riding a six-game winning streak entering the contest, was led by Courtney Williams’ 17 points, though she missed two key shots in the final minutes.

Natisha Hiedeman contributed 16, including a late 3-pointer that brought the Lynx within striking distance, while DiJonai Carrington and Maria Kludnikova each added 11.

New York stormed out early, building a 24-12 lead before settling for a 24-20 advantage after one quarter. Ionescu fueled a 13-2 second-quarter surge with two threes, helping the Liberty to a 48-37 halftime cushion. A Cloud triple pushed the lead to 15 in the third, but Minnesota battled back, narrowing the deficit to 66-60 entering the fourth.