Liberty Lose Jonquel Jones, Melee vs. Mercury
BROOKLYN—The New York Liberty's luck went dry against visitors from the desert.
Reeling from an early medically-induced departure for Jonquel Jones, the Liberty dropped an 89-81 decision to the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night at Barclays Center. Undrafted rookie Monique Akoa Makani put up a 21-point breakout while Alyssa Thomas fell three assists short of a triple-double with 18 tallies and 15 boards.
With Jones leaving early in the second quarter due to an ankle injury, the Liberty (10-2) fell for the second time in three games and for the first time at home since the opening game of last fall's WNBA Finals.
Jones left the game with 8:35 remaining in the second quarter and was officially diagnosed with a right ankle injury after a physical encounter with ex-New Yorker Sami Whitcomb on a drive. Since Jones was unable to take free throws that stemmed from a Whitcomb foul, the honor instead moving to Isabelle Harrison, she was unable to return to the game.
Beyond the unfortunate foul, it was a successful return for Whitcomb, who put up 16 points and five assists and rebounds each while uniting with Kitija Laksa (game-best plus-17 off the bench) for all seven three-pointers for Phoenix.
Breanna Stewart had 35 points in defeat while Natasha Cloud had 10 assists. Sabrina Ionescu's streak of 30-point games came to an end at two, as she scored 16 but needed 16 tries from the field to get there. Phoenix, fresh off a Wednesday trip to Connecticut, earned the win despite missing Olympic heroine Kahleah Copper, who sat due to knee injury management.
It was no secret where the Liberty missed Jones the most: New York lost the offensive rebound battle 16-6 (nine alone landing in the hands of either Thomas or Natasha Mack) and was more than tripled in the second chance point department at 26-6. Phoenix was 4-0 in the former department as it sealed its victory to extend the WNBA's longest active winning streak to four.
Despite the eventual defeat, the game was within metropolitan reach, as the deficit never jumped over 10. The Liberty lingered but other issues didn't stem from Jones' departure, such as 20 turnovers that yielded 18 tallies on the other end. New York lost seven turnovers in the opening period alone and let up only two points on those mistakes, but that trend didn't continue as Phoenix maintained a consistent lead.
Lasting optimism emerged despite defeat: Stewart, shooting 11-of-17 from the field, tied A'ja Wilson for the second-most 35-point outputs in WNBA history, now two behind Diana Taurasi for the most all-time. New York also limited Phoenix star Satou Sabally to 4-of-18 from the field on a night she did battle with her younger sister Nyara on the seafoam side.
The Liberty will now embark on a four-game road trip, one that tips off on Sunday evening against the Seattle Storm (7 p.m. ET, WWOR). The trek will include a chance at revenge, as the Liberty will be in Phoenix next Friday night.
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.