By DOUG FEINBERG
Gabby Williams scored 16 factors, Nneka Ogwumike added 15 to assist the Seattle Storm beat the New York Liberty 79-70 on Sunday.
The Storm (12-7) trailed by three on the half earlier than outscoring New York 22-6 within the third quarter. They held the Liberty to only 2-for-18 taking pictures from the sphere within the interval, together with New York (12-6) lacking its first 10 photographs.
In the meantime, Skylar Diggins, Ogwumike and Williams have been changing on the opposite finish. Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 decide within the draft, took over on the finish of the quarter. She didn’t play within the first half, however made probably the most of her minutes within the second.
The 6-foot-6 French ahead had 11 factors and eight rebounds in simply 10 minutes. She additionally altered just a few of Breanna Stewart’s photographs on the defensive finish. Stewart completed with simply eight factors, the primary time she hadn’t reached double digits because the opening recreation of the 2024 season.
New York additionally misplaced reserve ahead Isabelle Harrison to an harm with 2:31 left within the third quarter. She went down beneath the New York basket and needed to be helped off the courtroom. She didn’t return.
It was a back-and-forth first half that noticed 9 lead modifications. New York acquired a little bit little bit of a cushion because of Ionescu’s four-point play with 13.8 seconds left within the second quarter that made it 44-39. The Liberty led 44-41 on the half. She completed the opening 20 minutes with 20 factors, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. She solely had two factors within the second half and led the Liberty with 22.
Ionescu missed the primary assembly between the groups two weeks in the past with a neck harm.
