The New York Liberty improved to 5-0, matching the Minnesota Lynx for best record in the WNBA, with a 82-77 victory over the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday.
Breanna Stewart scored 27 points to lead the Liberty, adding 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. (She also hit 15 of 19 free throws.) Sabrina Ionescu followed with 24 points, hitting six 3-pointers.
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The game was close throughout with the Liberty leading 20-18 after the first quarter, and the game was tied 37-37 at halftime. New York took a 57-55 lead into the fourth quarter on a 3 by Marine Johannes and increased its lead to six points one minute in with a Rebekah Gardner 3. But the Liberty could never pull further away.
Golden State went on top 72-71 with four minutes remaining in regulation on a layup from Temi Fágbénlé, and the teams traded leads five times from there. (There were 20 total lead changes in the game.) The Liberty finally took the lead for good on two Stewart free throws for a 78-77 lead.
Veronica Burton and Janelle Salaün each missed 3-point tries for a chance to take the lead with under a minute left to play. The Valkyries got the offensive rebound with 42.1 seconds remaining and called timeout. But they were called for a 5-second violation trying to inbound the ball.
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The Liberty then called their own timeout to set up a play, and Natasha Cloud scored on a driving layup off a dribble handoff from Ionescu for an 80-77 lead. Cloud hit two more free throws after rebounding a Cecilia Zandalasini missed 3-pointer for the final margin.
Salaün led the Valkyries with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Kayla Thornton and Monique Billings each scored 10. With the defeat, Golden State dropped to 2-3 in its inaugural season.
Up next for the Liberty is the second end of a back-to-back with a visit to the Washington Mystics on Friday. The Valkyries have two days off before hosting the Lynx on Sunday.
