– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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NEW YORK — The New York Liberty found themselves experiencing some serious déjà vu on Wednesday night: same opponent, same fast start in the first quarter, same consternation after losing most of a sizable lead. Most importantly, the other sensation that ended up the same was the feeling of winning once the final buzzer sounded.
All five starters scored in double figures, led by Breanna Stewart and her 28, as the Liberty defeated the Seattle Storm 92-86 inside Barclays Center on Wednesday evening. New York has won four of its first five games since the All-Star Break, including three in a row.
The last two victories have come against the Storm in a span of 72 hours, that after New York won the matchup on Monday, also in Brooklyn. Exactly like two days ago, the Liberty jumped out to a double-digit lead after the first quarter tonight, and it was sharpshooter Rebecca Allen who set the tone. She drilled four of her first five shots from the field, including both of her three-point attempts, as she scored 10 of the Liberty’s 27 points as New York led by 11 after the game’s first 10 minutes.
Also akin to Monday, Seattle whittled away at the lead, and had cut their deficit to four by the end of the third after two Zia Cooke free throws brought the Storm within 69-65 as the fourth began.
The Liberty responded by scoring the first eight points of the fourth, with Jonquel Jones providing the first six after an old-fashioned three-point play and a three-pointer on New York’s first two possessions of the fourth. New York’s lead did not drop below six for the rest of the game.
Second-year center Dominique Malonga led the Storm with 31 points, the second-most points she’s ever scored in a WNBA game, as well as 10 rebounds and two steals. Seattle has lost 10 consecutive games and has only one win since the start of July (1-12 during that span).
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Wednesday evening’s game, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Chris Gonzalez. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 22 pictures in total.
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