With multiple starters sidelined, including reigning MVP Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu put the New York Liberty on her back on Tuesday night. The Olympian went off for 30 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead her team to a 82-74 win over the Connecticut Sun that tightened the Liberty's grasp on the No. 1 seed.
"We stuck together," Ionescu said. "Everyone came in and did their job. We knew we had to pick some people up who weren't playing with us. This crowd got us going the whole night, we want to protect homecourt."
In the process, Ionescu surpassed Cappie Pondexter to become the Liberty's leader in 30-point games with 13. That moves her into a tie with Seimone Augustus for 19th place on the WNBA's all-time 30-point game leaderboard. In addition, this was Ionescu's sixth career game with at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists, which is second only to Diana Taurasi (eight) in league history.
Sabrina Ionescu continues her stellar play, scoring 30 points tonight with over 50% shooting from the field and beyond the arc, leading the @nyliberty to their fifth straight win! 🔥#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/IoEv5slHTl
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 17, 2024
Here's a look at the Liberty's top 30-point scorers. No one else in franchise history besides these four has more than two 30-point games:
| Player | 30-Point Games |
|---|---|
Sabrina Ionescu | 13 |
Cappie Pondexter | 13 |
Breanna Stewart | 10 |
10 |
Ionescu got off to a hot start, as she made three 3-pointers and had 12 points in the first quarter to help the Liberty build an early double-digit lead. She had a big third quarter as well, when she lived at the free throw line en route to 10 points in the frame, and had some big plays in the fourth to seal the victory.
"It's magical playing here, especially for me," Ionescu said of Barclays Center. "Every time I shoot, I feel like it's gonna go in with this crowd behind me. So I'm just gonna keep shooting."
With the win, the Liberty are now 21-4 on the season, and have built a 2.5-game lead on the Sun atop the standings. They also now have the season series between the clubs, making that essentially a 3.5-game advantage. When play resumes after the Olympic break in mid-August, the Liberty will have just 15 games remaining, and it's going to be hard for anyone to chase them down for the No. 1 seed with the way they're playing.
Not only do the Liberty have the best record in the league, they have the best offensive rating (107.5) and net rating (plus-11.8). History also bodes well for them. They are the 13th team to get to 21 wins in their first 25 games. Nine of the previous 12 went on to win the title.
"This is huge," Ionescu said. "This is what we're gonna remember going into the break."
