Stewart, Ionescu combine for 54 points to lift Liberty over Wings

Breanna Stewart scored 32 points and Sabrina Ionescu added 22 to help the New York Liberty beat the visiting Dallas Wings 102-93 on Sunday.

Trailing by six at the half, New York took over in the third quarter behind Stewart. The Liberty scored 34 points in the period, including 13 by Stewart. The game was tied at 60 midway through the period before New York scored 19 of the next 24 points. Stewart, who made 15 of her 20 field-goal attempts, had six points and two assists during the burst.

New York (6-2) was up 79-68 heading into the fourth quarter. Dallas (5-4) got within single digits midway through the period, but Stewart hit a tough turnaround jumper on the baseline and then Ionescu hit a three-pointer from the wing to make it 93-79 with 4:03 left. Dallas never threatened after that.

Arike Ogunbowale finished with 25 points to lead Dallas. Satou Sabally added 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The game featured a matchup of the Sabally sisters — Satou and Nyara. It was the first time the sisters, two years apart in age, played against each other in their careers. Satou said they got together on Saturday after the Wings got to New York and had food at Nyara's apartment.

Wilson powers Aces past Sky

 A'ja Wilson had 21 points and 10 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season, Chelsea Gray added 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Chicago Sky 93-80 on Sunday.

Gray hit a pull-up three-pointer that capped a 9-2 opening run and the Aces never trailed. Wilson made back-to-back baskets to spark a 10-1 run that gave Las Vegas a 54-35 lead when she made two free throws to cap the spurt with 55 seconds left in the first half.

Marina Mabrey led Chicago (5-5) with 20 points. Kahleah Copper scored 18 points and Dana Evans added 10 points and eight assists. Evans, a second-round draft pick of the Dallas Wings in 2021, has six of her 11 career double-digit scoring games this season.

Las Vegas averages a league-leading 91.3 points per game — 5 points more than Dallas, the No. 2 scoring team in the WNBA — and has scored at least 90 points in seven of its nine games this season.

Mystics cruise past Storm in Seattle

Natasha Cloud scored 19 points, Ariel Atkins added 12, including five key points late in the fourth quarter, and the Washington Mystics nearly blew a 28-point lead before holding on for a 71-65 victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday.

Washington used a big first half to take control, before Seattle nearly rallied on the day the Storm retired Sue Bird's No. 10 jersey.

After the Mystics went scoreless for more than six minutes of the fourth quarter, Atkins got a favorable bounce on a baseline jumper with 3:40 left. She added a three-pointer moments later and the Mystics led 68-62 with three minutes left. Those would be Washington's only two made baskets of the quarter.

Ivana Dojkic was fouled shooting a three for Seattle and hit all three free throws. The foul was also called a flagrant one and Seattle kept possession, but Kia Nurse missed an open three that would have tied the game.

Jewell Loyd missed a couple of good chances for Seattle to trim the lead or pull even and Cloud's free throws with 14 seconds left finally put away the game. Seattle missed its last six shots and did not score in the final 2 1/2 minutes.

Washington had a 27-3 run in the first and second quarters to take a 32-10 lead. Washington's lead grew to as many as 28 in the first half before settling for a 46-21 advantage at the break.

The Storm got within 14 points late in the third quarter, but Washington closed out the period with a 7-0 run to lead 63-42 heading to the fourth quarter. The Storm's 21-point third quarter matched their first-half total and their 17-0 run got them within four points before Atkins scored for the Mystics.

Loyd led Seattle with 16 points but was 6 for 22 from the field. Ezi Magbegor scored 13, Nurse, a native of Hamilton, Ont. and Dojkic scored 12 apiece and Jordan Horston 10.

Shakira Austin added 11 points and nine rebounds for Washington.

Jones leads Sun in win over Dream

Brionna Jones scored 18 points, Alyssa Thomas had 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and the Connecticut Sun defeated the Atlanta Dream 89-77 on Sunday.

The Sun scored the last five points of the third quarter to lead 65-60 entering the fourth. Jones and Tyasha Harris then scored the first eight points of the period and Connecticut led by at least nine points the rest of the way.

Allisha Gray scored to get the Dream within 84-75 near the one-minute mark, but Thomas made a driving layup and DeWanna Bonner added a technical free throw to put the Sun up by double digits again.

Bonner scored 15 points for the Sun. Connecticut got 35 bench points, with Harris scoring 15 and DiJonai Carrington 12.

Cheyenne Parker led Atlanta with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Gray scored 18 and Rhyne Howard added 16.

Atlanta scored the game's first 10 points before Connecticut rallied, first tying the game at 16. The score was tied three times in the second quarter and Harris hit a pull-up jumper to give the Sun a 48-44 lead at halftime.

The game was part of the Commissioner's Cup series.

Griner lifts Mercury past Fever

Brittney Griner scored 29 points, Sophie Cunningham scored 11 of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, and the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever 85-82 on Sunday.

Indiana built a 67-59 lead entering the fourth quarter before Cunningham hit two three-pointers to spark a game-tying 8-0 run. NaLyssa Smith scored five straight points for Indiana and the Fever led 77-72 near the five-minute mark, but Griner, Cunningham and Sug Sutton all scored in close to put Phoenix ahead by one.

The score was tied at 80 before Griner scored again and Cunningham hit a three-pointer for an 85-80 lead with 50 seconds remaining. Smith then hit a short jumper with 29 seconds to go, Diana Taurasi missed an 18-footer for Phoenix, and Erica Wheeler missed a three-pointer at the buzzer for Indiana.

Smith had 29 points and 12 rebounds, Wheeler added 17 points and eight assists, and Kelsey Mitchell scored 12 for Indiana.

Griner scored 14 points and Taurasi had 13 in the first half. Phoenix led 43-42 at the break after leading by eight early in the second quarter. Smith scored 15 to lead Indiana.

Lynx erase 11 point deficit to beat Sparks

Napheesa Collier had 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Minnesota rallied from a late 11-point deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Sparks 91-86 on Sunday, the day the Lynx honoured Sylvia Fowles by retiring her No. 34 jersey.

A deep three-pointer by Lexie Brown gave the Sparks an 83-72 lead with 3 1/2 minutes left before a three-pointer by Minnesota's Rachel Banham started the game-winning rally.

A three-pointer by Bridget Carleton gave the Lynx an 84-83 lead with about a minute remaining. After a missed three-pointer and a turnover by the Sparks, Carleton added another 3-pointer for a four-point Lynx lead. The Chatham, Ont. native finished the game with nine points. 

Jordin Canada missed a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left and the Sparks were forced to foul. Tiffany Mitchell made two free throws, Nneka Ogwumike hit a 3-pointer for the Sparks' only points of the final three minutes, and Mitchell hit two more free throws to wrap up the scoring.

Mitchell scored 17 points, Kayla McBride 13 and Nikolina Milic 10 for the Lynx. Jessica Shepard had 13 rebounds.

Nneka Ogwumike scored 27 points, Brown 21 and Canada 18 for Los Angeles.

Minnesota led by six late in the second quarter, but the Sparks scored 10 points in the final two minutes before halftime to tie the score at 43.

After a back-and-forth start to the third quarter, Los Angeles went ahead by five when Canada hit a layup and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions. Minnesota did not fade and when McBride hit the last basket of the quarter, the Lynx trailed 64-62 heading to the fourth.

The game was part of the Commissioner's Cup series.

Fowles averaged 15.7 points and a WNBA-record 9.8 rebounds per game in a 15-year career with Chicago and Minnesota. She was part of Minnesota's championship teams in 2015 and 2017. In 2021, she was named one of the top 25 WNBA players of all time.