Breanna Stewart Scores 29 as Liberty Beat Sparks 113-109

Breanna Stewart scored 29 points and Sabrina Ionescu added 27 as the New York Liberty beat the Los Angeles Sparks 113-109 on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Stewart shot 11-of-19 from the floor and finished with 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks. She is the second player in WNBA history to record that line in a game. Stewart scored 19 of her points in the second half.

Tuesday was Stewart's fifth straight game with at least 20 points. She has scored 15 or more with a steal or a block in 13 consecutive games, the longest such run in franchise history. Her two 3-pointers gave her four straight games with multiple makes, matching the longest streak of her Liberty tenure. Stewart also reached 200 steals in a New York uniform.

Ionescu shot 9-of-16 from the floor and 5-of-9 from three, adding 7 rebounds and 6 assists. She scored 14 points in the first quarter and made four 3-pointers in the period, a season high for her in a quarter.

Ionescu passed Vickie Johnson (1,053) for fifth on the Liberty's all-time rebounding list. It was the 32nd game of her career with at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. That total ties Diana Taurasi for the second most in WNBA history through a player's first seven seasons. Ionescu has made multiple 3-pointers in nine straight games.

Stewart and Ionescu combined for 56 points, their highest total together this season. The two have each scored 20 in the same game 18 times as teammates, the most in franchise history. Tuesday was the third time two Liberty teammates each posted 25 points and 5 assists, and the second time the pair has done it.

New York improved to 16-12.

Stewart was asked about her partnership with Ionescu.

"I think we talked about it a little bit in the locker room. This is a fresh start for the second half of the season, and we really wanted to dictate what happens on the floor," Stewart said. "We were just playing the game — taking the shots when they were there and finding open teammates when we could. Once we were able to move their defense around a little bit, the corner threes started opening up."

Los Angeles opened on a 9-2 run. New York answered with a 14-6 close to lead 36-30 after the first quarter. The Liberty made seven 3-pointers in the period, matching their season high for a quarter, and shot 12-of-20 from the floor and 7-of-10 from deep. Their 36 points tied a season high for a quarter.

The Sparks used a 13-2 run between the 7:27 and 4:09 marks of the second and took a 56-53 lead into halftime. New York made 10 3-pointers in the half, a season high for the team.

A 13-3 Liberty run from the 2:46 mark to 0:40 of the third put New York ahead 85-84 going into the fourth. The Liberty outscored the Sparks 20-8 in the paint in the period and shot 13-of-21 from the floor.

New York opened the fourth with an 8-2 run. Marine Fauthoux hit two straight 3-pointers for a 93-86 lead, and the Liberty held a two-possession margin for most of the final eight minutes. New York shot 9-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-5 from three in the quarter.

Ionescu was asked about the bench.

"It's probably our greatest strength. We know we have players coming off the bench who can impact games and help us win. We've relied on them all season, and we'll continue to do that," Ionescu said. "I was really proud of everybody. Beck Gardner gave us huge minutes and really changed the momentum. Han helped us, Marine helped us, and everybody who came in made an impact."

The Liberty reserves outscored the Sparks bench 41-19, matching New York's season high for bench points. Rebekah Gardner scored 15 on 5-of-6 shooting and added 4 assists. It was her highest-scoring game since July 23, 2022. Gardner also made her 100th field goal in a Liberty uniform.

Han Xu finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Her three 3-pointers were a career high. Han's plus-29 was a career best and is tied for the third-highest mark by a Liberty reserve in franchise history.

Fauthoux scored a career-high 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting and 3-of-4 from three, with 3 rebounds. She scored 10 of them in the fourth quarter, a career high for a quarter. Tuesday was the second time in franchise history that three Liberty reserves each scored 13 or more.

Jonquel Jones had 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on 4-of-6 shooting, tying her season high in assists. Jones has made a 3-pointer in 12 straight games. Pauline Astier added 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal, becoming the third Liberty rookie to reach 100 career assists. Rebecca Allen had a season-high 2 steals.

New York set season highs with 113 points, 41 field goals, and 17 3-pointers. The Liberty shot 58.6% from the floor and 53.1% from three, both season bests. New York outscored Los Angeles 18-5 on second-chance points and 48-46 in the paint. The Sparks finished with 21 rebounds, the fewest by a Liberty opponent this season. It was New York's highest-scoring game since 2022 and the second-highest total in franchise history. The 113 points are also the most by a team with a first-year head coach in a regulation WNBA game.

Liberty coach Chris DeMarco was asked about the defense.

"This is a really good team. They can score. It was basically two strong offensive teams going at each other, and like Sab said, you just need enough stops," DeMarco said. "For us, getting the stops when they mattered most was the difference. They have a lot of talent. They attack downhill, they have shooters, and they have paint presence. One thing I thought we did much better in the second half was taking away the paint."

Rae Burrell led Los Angeles with 24 points, tying her career high. Her 10 field goals were a career high, and so were her 4 steals. Nneka Ogwumike scored 21 with 9 assists, tying her career high and setting a season high. Her three 3-pointers moved her past Chelsea Gray into sixth on the Sparks' all-time list. Erica Wheeler had 17 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three and 9 assists, finishing at plus-15. Ariel Atkins scored 16, Dearica Hamby 12, and Cameron Brink 11 with 6 rebounds.

Los Angeles finished with 35 assists, a franchise record. The Sparks made 16 3-pointers on 16-of-31 shooting, tying a franchise record. Their 44 field goals were a season high and the most in a game since they made 45 against Chicago on Aug. 18, 2017.

Sparks coach Lynne Roberts was asked about the loss.

"I think we played well. We had 30 points off of 18 turnovers. We were active, we were connected. Good offense beats good defense," Roberts said. "We made more field goals than them. We lost at that free throw line. It's hard to defend the shooter at the free throw line. It's not moral victories, but we can build on that. We had 35 assists. That's a franchise record."

Los Angeles fell to 10-17 and has lost six in a row and nine of 11. Attendance was 15,499.

New York plays at the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday. Los Angeles plays at the Portland Fire on Sunday.