MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Jonquel Jones had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and the New York Liberty beat the slumping Minnesota Lynx 93-81 on Friday night in a possible first-round playoff matchup.
Stewart moved past Sue Bird and into ninth place on the WNBA’s career scoring list with 6,806 points. She’s five points behind Cappie Pondexter for eighth place.
Stewart also had four assists and three steals. Sabrina Ionescu scored 17 points, with six assists and three steals, Pauline Astier scored 14, and reserve Marine Johannes 13.
Olivia Miles scored 20 points to lead Minnesota, losers of three straight. Kayla McBride scored 16, Napheesa Collier 14, Courtney Williams 12 and Natasha Williams 11.
Miles converted a three-point play for a 69-67 Lynx lead with 8:18 left. Stewart responded with a 3-pointer on New York’s following possession and the Liberty never trailed again.
New York outscored the Lynx 23-12 the rest of the way.
Despite the loss, Minnesota retained the WNBA’s top seed while the Liberty moved up to sixth.
New York (25-16) has won eight of its last 11. The Lynx (31-10) have dropped three straight for the first time this season.
___
See AP’s full WNBA coverage here
The Associated Press
