After soundly beating Dallas by 20 points earlier in the week, the New York Liberty were pushed right to the end in a rematch with the visiting Wings.
In the end, New York was able to fend off Dallas 79-71 to earn its eighth straight victory on Thursday night in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Leonie Fiebich, who exited Tuesday’s game against the Wings due to a nagging rib injury, returned and had key plays down the stretch to lift the Liberty to victory. She had a steal-and-score, followed by a three-pointer to cap off a 9-2 run to give the Liberty a 74-66 lead with 1:15 remaining.
The late-game separation gave New York enough room to hold off the resilient Wings. Fiebich finished with a career-high 16 points for the Liberty, who were without starters Sabrina Ionescu (neck) and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee).
Breanna Stewart led the Liberty with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Kayla Thornton had 16 points. Jonquel Jones chipped in a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Dallas came with a renewed effort on defense. The Wings limited the Liberty to 35.1 percent shooting from the floor, including a 7-of-29 (24.1 percent) showing from beyond the arc.
Arike Ogunbowale paced the Wings with 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Natasha Howard added 16 points and eight rebounds. Teaira McGowan had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Offensively, the Wings shot 30-of-69 (43.5 percent) overall and 2-for-13 (15.4 percent) from long range.
The Wings led 17-14 after the first quarter on Ogunbowale’s late 3-pointer. New York took the lead in the second quarter and never relinquished it, but Dallas kept it close the remainder of the way. New York led 35-32 at the half and 53-49 after three quarters.
Despite its shooting struggles, the Liberty were relentless on the glass and outrebounded the Wings 46-38, including 17 offensive boards. New York also converted on 18-of-23 free throw attempts.
–Field Level Media