Pauline Astier scored 16 points as the New York Liberty beat the Phoenix Mercury 75-68, handing Phoenix its fifth straight loss for the first time since 2023.
Pauline Astier scored 16 points and handed out 6 assists, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton added 13 off the bench as the New York Liberty held off the Phoenix Mercury 75-68 on Friday night at Barclays Center.
Astier shot 6-of-8 from the field and made both of her free throws in the final seconds to close it out. The Liberty (5-4) won the rematch two days after these teams met, when New York closed the third quarter on a 23-0 run and never looked back.
The Liberty led 54-52 late in the third quarter on Friday before a 13-5 push put them ahead 67-57 with 6:59 to play. The run ended with Jonquel Jones blocking Kahleah Copper, then Astier pushing the ball ahead to a streaking Rebekah Gardner for a layup.
Phoenix answered with an 8-0 run to get within 67-65 with 3:16 left. The Mercury (2-7) have now lost five straight for the first time since 2023. Astier ended the drought with a driving layup to make it 69-65.
Monique Akoa Makani hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 71-68 with 46 seconds to go. Alyssa Thomas stole the next inbound pass, but DeWanna Bonner's 30-footer to tie it was off. Astier sealed it with two free throws with 8.8 seconds left.
Copper kept the Mercury within reach in the second half. She missed her first 7 shots before scoring 14 of her 16 points across the third and fourth quarters. She finished 4-of-16 from the field.
The game marked the return of New York's Satou Sabally, who faced her former team for the first time since signing with the Liberty in free agency. Sabally came off the bench midway through the first quarter, having missed Wednesday's meeting while recovering from an illness that also kept her out of most of Monday's game against Portland. She wound up with 4 points in just over 10 minutes.
Both teams struggled to score early, combining to miss their first 8 shots, and New York led 34-31 at halftime.
Astier's 16 points led six Liberty players who reached at least 6. Laney-Hamilton added 13 on 2-of-5 from 3-point range, while Jones posted 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Breanna Stewart had 9 points and 8 rebounds, and Han Xu added 9 points off the bench. New York outrebounded Phoenix 40-23.
Copper led the Mercury with 16 points, Thomas added 15 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals, and Akoa Makani scored 13. Phoenix shot 33.9% from the field and was outscored 30-22 in the paint.
The Mercury returns home to face Minnesota on Monday night. The Liberty have a few days off before hosting former coach Sandy Brondello and the Toronto Tempo.
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