Mercury's second-half bounce back not enough, Liberty win 81-78

Sabrina Ionescu scored 22 points while Jonquel Jones had 20 for the New York Liberty as they were just able to get past the Phoenix Mercury in crunch time, winning 81-78 on Wednesday night.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton added 15 points and Brianna Stewart stashed 13 for the Liberty (5-2). New York snapped a two-game losing streak with this win.

Natasha Cloud was the leading scorer for the Mercury (3-4) with 21 points. Kahleah Copper went for 20 points in the Phoenix’s third straight loss.

Quick Start by Liberty, Mercury Fought Adversity

Trying to bounce back after suffering a 70-47 defeat to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, the second leg of a back-to-back for the Mercury was off to a similar start. The Liberty sprung on a 22-8 run after Ionescu scored 10 points in the first quarter, up 33-20 at the buzzer.

Knowing how potent a WNBA superstar duo like Ionescu and Stewart can be, Phoenix defensively limited the two to eight points in the second as well as outscoring New York 24-14.

Setting a season-high of 20 turnovers the night before, the Mercury cleaned up the issue and held the total to just four at the end of the second quarter, turning the tide in their favor.

“The last two games, we have been turning it [the ball] over at a pretty high rate and I think on the year, we are third or fourth in turnover rate,” Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said on lessening turnovers. “Obviously the last two games it was an issue. Our team knows how important it is and last night, we are just going to throw out the window and move on. This is right around the goal where we want to be at.”

Late in the second quarter, Sophie Cunningham brutally fell in the paint and her elbow took the brunt of the impact. Squinting in pain, she was hunched down before both teams went into halftime but was okay and returned.

Mercury Flip Switch in Second Half, Liberty Hold On

Being the main drivers of the turnaround, Cloud and Copper combined for 10 points in the third quarter to help the Phoenix storm back and take a 59-58 lead. Courtney Vandersloot made a two-point jumper to end the third quarter 60-59 New York.

Putting the pressure on the high-flying Liberty, Taurasi elevated up to another level with two crucial threes to take the lead once more 65-62 in the fourth. Taurasi scored 14 points and was 3-for-7 (42.9%) from behind the arc.

The final quarter became heated as both teams would go for a jump ball before Kayla Thornton and Sug Sutton got into a scuffle. They were both separated and received double technical fouls as a result.