06/03/26 09:31:00
Printable Page
06/03 21:30 CDT Liberty surge past the Tempo as Jonquel Jones powers New York's
third straight win
Liberty surge past the Tempo as Jonquel Jones powers New York's third straight
win
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Jonquel Jones had 22 points and 17 rebounds to help the New
York Liberty beat the Toronto Tempo 97-82 on Wednesday night.
Breanna Stewart added 19 points, including 17 in the second half, for the
Liberty (6-4), who have won three straight games. New York was still missing
guard Sabrina Ionescu, who is sidelined with a back issue. Coach Chris DeMarco
said at morning shootaround that his All-Star guard was getting better. She's
only played in one game this season.
The game marked the return of former Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, who led the
franchise to its first WNBA championship in 2024. The Liberty let her go after
last season. The franchise's winningest coach received a warm ovation from the
crowd when she was introduced before the game.
She's now in charge of the expansion Tempo and has guided them to a strong
start. The loss dropped the Tempo (5-5) to .500 and ended a two-game winning
streak.
New York trailed 22-17 early in the second quarter before going on a 15-2 run
capped by two 3-pointers by Satou Sabally. The first came in transition over
her sister Nyara, who was taken by the Tempo from the Liberty in the expansion
draft this offseason.
The Liberty led 40-34 at the half as Jones finished the opening 20 minutes with
17 points and 12 rebounds.
They put the game away in the third quarter as Stewart scored nine points after
only having two in the first half. New York extended its lead to 70-58 and
never looked back.
Toronto had a scary moment with 1:33 left in the game. Rookie Kiki Rice had her
shot blocked and her right leg bent backwards as she was landing. The No. 6
pick in the draft was down for a little bit before getting up and limping back
to the locker room.
Brondello said after the game she had no update on Rice's condition, hoping
that the young guard would be OK.
Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes each scored 17 points to lead the Tempo.
Up next
Tempo: host Chicago Sky on Sunday.
Liberty: host Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Saturday night.
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
|
