Liberty Advance to WNBA Semifinals With 90-85 OT Win, Sweep First Round Series 2-0

TEAM NOTABLES

In front of a sellout crowd of 9,256, the New York Liberty defeated the Washington Mystics, 90-85, in Game 2 of their 2023 WNBA Playoffs First Round series, sweeping their first three-game series since 2000.

The Liberty’s First Round victory marks their first playoff series win since 2015 –– also defeating the Mystics in that First Round series. At Barclays Center, the Liberty finished with 52 total points in the paint on 42% (34-81) shooting from the field, 17.4% (4-23) from three, and 85.7% (18-21) at the free throw line. Including the regular season, New York is now 4-0 in overtime.

Up Next: The New York Liberty will host either the third-seeded Connecticut Sun or the sixth-seeded Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals on Sunday, September 24, at 1 p.m. ET.

KEY RUNS

Q1: New York went on a 17-7 run from the 6:11 mark of the first to the 1:43 mark of the opening quarter.

Q2: New York closed out the first half with a 15-6 run that commenced at the 4:37 mark of the second quarter.

Q3: Washington went on a 23-9 run from the 4:20 mark of the third quarter to the 3:56 mark of the fourth quarter.

Q4: New York went on a 9-0 run from the 3:05 mark of the fourth to the 0:46 mark of the final quarter.

OT1: New York extended their fourth quarter run into overtime, totaling a 19-8 run through the 2:28 mark of the extra period.

PLAYER NOTABLES

New York finished with four double-digit scorers in tonight’s game (Stewart, Jones, Laney, Ionescu).

 Breanna Stewart finished with a team-high 27 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and two steals. Including tonight’s victory, she is now 7-0 against the Washington Mystics in the postseason.

Notching her 12^th career postseason double-double, Jonquel Jones finished with 19 points on 66.7% (6-9) shooting from the floor, 14 rebounds, and three blocks.

Tonight’s performance marks just the second time in her postseason career that Jones has recorded a double-double in consecutive contests.

Betnijah Laney totaled 19 points on 52.9% (9-17) shooting from the field, three assists, and two rebounds.

 Sabrina Ionescu finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

For Washington, Natasha Cloud finished with a game-high 33 points, a team-high nine assists, six rebounds, and four steals, while Brittney Sykes added 14 points, a team-high 12 rebounds, and four assists.

Photo Credit: Brandon Todd/New York Liberty