Liberty Winning Streak Ends vs. Sparks in Heartbreaker
BROOKLYN—A Hollywood ending for the Los Angeles Sparks came at the New York Liberty's expense.
Rickea Jackson's last-second double ended the longest winning streak in the WNBA, as the Liberty was one the wrong end of a 101-99 thriller at Barclays Center. It was the final game of the Liberty's longest homestand of the season, one where they won six of eight showings.
It was the last of 24 points for Jackson, whose dramatic double allowed the Sparks (11-14) to inherit the WNBA's longest active victory tally at five. Dearica Hamby (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Azura Stevens (17 points, 11 rebounds) also had double-doubles for a Los Angeles team set to welcome back sophomore sensation Cameron Brink fairly soon.
Sabrina Ionescu, promoting her new sneaker with large-scale promotion that saw the Brooklyn crowd clad in bright yellow t-shirts, had 30 points with eight rebounds and six assists while Natasha Cloud had 22 points and nine assists.
It was a loss in more ways than the one for Liberty (17-7), who were forced to go most of the game without Breanna Stewart after she endured what was later diagnosed as a lower leg injury before the midway mark of the opening period. Cramps for Kennedy Burke also kept her out of the entire second, forcing New York to go with unfamiliar lineup combinations that went deep into their bench.
The Liberty now embark on a four-game road trip, one that begins on Monday night in Arlington against the Dallas Wings (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
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.