NEW YORK (AP) — Betnijah Laney scored a season-high 22 points, Jonquel Jones added 18 points and the New York Liberty rode a record hot start to rout the Indiana Fever 101-83 on Sunday.
New York (16-5) made its first nine shots on the way to a 44-point first quarter. That’s the most points ever scored in a period in WNBA history surpassing the 42 that Chicago had against the Liberty in 2019.
The easy win allowed coach Sandy Brondello to get some rest for her starting group. New York enters a tough stretch of its schedule with five games in eight days, although four of them are at home.
While Indiana (6-16) wasn’t really ever in Sunday’s game after the opening quarter, the Fever have already been more successful than last season when they won five games total.
Victoria Vivians led Indiana with 16 points and Erica Wheeler added 15.
MYSTICS 84, MERCURY 69
WASHINGTON (AP) — Natasha Cloud scored 23 points and had nine assists, Brittney Sykes also scored 23 points and the short-handed Mystics beat Phoenix, extending the Mercury’s road losing streak to seven games.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added 13 points for Washington (12-10).
Phoenix (6-16), which is 1-10 away from home this season, has the longest active road losing streak in the WNBA. The Mercury had won back-to-back games (for the first time this season) and three of their last four.
Two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne (left ankle sprain), Shakira Austin (left hip strain), Ariel Atkins (left ankle sprain) — all regular starters who combine to account for approximately 40% of Washington’s scoring this season — and Kristi Tolliver (plantar fasciitis) did not play for the Mystics.
Sophie Cunningham hit five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting for Phoenix.
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