Breanna Stewart scored 21 points, and Courtney Vandersloot added 16 as the New York Liberty pulled ahead with a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to win 84-70 over the Phoenix Mercury on Monday night.
Sabrina Ionescu contributed five points, including a turnaround jumper from the foul line, helping the Liberty extend their 64-57 lead to a 17-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. Leonie Fiebich also made a 3-pointer, her only basket of the game.
Jonquel Jones added 15 points for the Liberty (27-5), who made 12 3-pointers and had a 14-3 advantage in free throws over Phoenix. Ionescu ended with 13 points.
Brittney Griner led the Mercury (16-15) with 22 points but also had seven of their 20 turnovers.
Natasha Cloud scored 18 points, Kahleah Copper had 14, and Diana Taurasi added 10. The turnovers led to 28 points for New York, and Phoenix’s bench was outscored 15-4.
New York shot 12 of 29 from beyond the arc, while Phoenix was 5 of 22.
Taurasi made a 3-pointer in the final moments to tie the game at 38 at halftime. The Liberty led by up to nine points but were outscored 20-12 in the paint, and Phoenix scored 15 fastbreak points.
Griner reached 800 career blocks for the Mercury, and Cloud reached 200 assists for the season, breaking Taurasi’s single-season franchise record. Taurasi also moved past Lindsey Whalen for fourth place on the WNBA career assists list.
