Jewell Loyd scored 22 points as the host Seattle Storm took control in the second quarter and cruised to a 92-61 victory over the skidding New York Liberty on Sunday.
The Storm (5-3) easily extended their winning streak to four games while missing Sue Bird, Ezi Magbegor and Stephanie Talbot, who remained in the health and safety protocols. The Liberty (1-7) saw their losing streak reach seven games since getting a two-point win in their season opener on May 7.
Loyd posted her third 20-point game this season and shot 8 of 15 from the field as the Storm shot 49.3 percent and made 13 3-pointers. Breanna Stewart, who scored 31 in Friday’s overtime win over New York, added 14, eight rebounds, six steals and five assists as Seattle beat New York for the fourth straight time.
Jantel Lavender and Briann January contributed 12 points apiece for the Storm, who won their previous three games by a combined 14 points. Kaela Davis chipped in 11 for the Storm, who led by as many as 32.
Reserve Han Xu scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but the Liberty shot a dreadful 33.8 percent and missed 20 of 27 3-point tries while committing 17 turnovers. Former Seattle forward Natasha Howard added 10 and was the lone New York starter in double figures.
New York’s other four starters of Sabrina Ionescu, Sami Whitcomb, Stefanie Dolson and Rebecca Allen combined to score 25 points on 10 of 25 from the field.
Seattle led by double digits for the final 28 minutes and outscored the Liberty 26-8 in the second quarter when it ripped off 16 straight points to take a 39-17 lead on a basket by January with 4:26 remaining. After January’s hoop capped the run, the Storm grabbed a 49-23 lead by halftime when Davis hit a 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds left.
Davis also hit another 3-pointer in the final seconds of the third to give Seattle a 66-45 lead going into the fourth.
–Field Level Media