Breanna Stewart totaled 24 points and nine rebounds as the New York Liberty squandered a 16-point lead in the third quarter before earning an 89-81 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night in Uncasville, Conn.
The Liberty (10-3) earned their fourth straight win and got help from the supporting cast down the stretch after blowing a 12-point lead with about 6 1/2 minutes left. After allowing 13 straight points, New York scored the final nine points.
Courtney Vandersloot’s layup gave the Liberty a seemingly safe 80-68 lead, but DiJonai Carrington hit two threes and Alyssa Thomas converted a layup to give the Sun an 81-80 lead with 3:39 left.
Two free throws by Vandersloot put New York up 82-81 with 3:27 left, and it was 87-81 after Kayla Thornton made a 15-footer with 40.4 seconds left. After Tyasha Harris had a jumper blocked by Jonquel Jones with 34.9 seconds left, Thornton sank two free throws to ice it with 16.8 seconds to go.
Vandersloot added 17 points and nine assists as the Liberty shot 48.6 percent from the field. Betnijah Laney contributed 16 points, while Jones collected 14 points and 11 boards.
Carrington scored 23 points off the bench, but the Sun (12-4) saw their four-game winning streak end. DeWanna Bonner added 12 points and Thomas finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for her fifth career regular-season triple-double.
Thomas and Bonner combined for 17 points in a competitive opening quarter that ended with the Sun up 29-28.
Stewart hit a 15-footer for a 37-31 New York lead with 6:36 remaining in the second, and the Sun countered with a 12-2 run to take a 43-39 lead on a basket by Carrington. New York then scored the final eight points of the first half and held a 47-43 advantage at halftime after Vandersloot sank a 3-pointer with 48.4 seconds left.
Stewart hit two threes as the Liberty pushed the lead to 58-45 with 6:43 left in the third quarter, and Vandersloot connected with Jones for a layup that turned into a three-point play that made it 65-49 less than two minutes later. The Sun ended the third with a 16-5 spurt to get within 70-65 going into the fourth.
–Field Level Media