NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 24 points and Jonquel Jones added 20 to help the New York Liberty beat the Seattle Storm 95-83 on Monday night.
Sabrina Ionescu had 18 points for the Liberty (18-13), who have won five of their past six games. The previous four victories came by a total of eight points.
Monday's game started a three-game homestand for New York this week. The teams will play again Wednesday night.
New York led 70-67 late in the third quarter before scoring the final nine points of the period to take a 12-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Stewart had four points during the spurt.
The run continued at the start the fourth with Marine Johannes and Han Xu for the Liberty, who went up 85-67. Seattle could get no closer than nine the rest of the way.
Flau'jae Johnson scored 25 points, while Natisha Hiedeman and Dominque Malonga each added 17 for Seattle (6-26).
The game served as a homecoming for Seattle coach Sonia Raman, who was an assistant in New York last season. It's been a rough first year for Raman as the Storm are currently last in the standings. They've dropped nine straight games, but the future is bright with young stars Johnson, Malonga and Awa Fam.
New York jumped all over Seattle with Ionescu, Jones and Stewart combining to score the team's first 26 points. The Liberty led 28-18 after one quarter. Seattle rallied behind Hiedeman to get within 50-43 at the half.
About 90 minutes before tipoff, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was courtside, chatting with Jones and Liberty coach Chris DeMarco.
“She was saying how excited she was to be here and watch us play and everything,” Jones said of chatting with Clinton. “Great experience to meet her and all the amazing things she’s done.”
Clinton sat next to Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai during the game and received a loud ovation from the crowd when she was shown on the videoboard.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press
