After securing a playoff spot for a third consecutive season, the Liberty remained on a high by defeating the Chicago Sky, 89-73, on Friday night at the Barclays Center for their fifth consecutive victory.
The Liberty, who clinched a playoff spot Thursday night by virtue of a few other teams losing, had earned their four-day rest after defeating the WNBA-best Las Vegas Aces, 99-61, on Sunday and they proved to be near their peak again — matching a franchise record of 23 wins by shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range.
“It’s pretty cool [earning the record],” head coach Sandy Brondello said after the win. “I didn’t know that. … We had big goals coming in and I think we continue to grow and building our chemistry, so that’s what excites me.
“Obviously, winning is a part of it.”
Breanna Stewart led the Liberty with a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds, followed by Sabrina Ionescu with 19 points and eight assists. Jonquel Jones chipped in with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Betnijah Laney also posted a solid performance with 11 points and three assists.
Early on, Jones was dominant in the paint for the Liberty with six points and four rebounds within the first four minutes and Laney led with eight points, going 2-for-2 from three.
But the Sky inched back into the game, coming within two of the Liberty with 2:10 left in the first half.
But a 3-pointer from Stewart and a steal and layup by Kayla Thorton off of a poor pass started a surge, with the Liberty taking a 48-40 lead into halftime.
The Liberty applied the defensive pressure on Chicago’s three-time All-Star, Kahleah Copper, holding her to six points in the first half.
“I thought we defended her well,” Brondello said. “We have Betnijah Laney. She’s an animal. She takes pride in making it hard and I think we made it hard for Kah.”
In the third quarter, the Liberty lost their groove with Jones and Courtney Vandersloot each committing three turnovers, and the Sky came within four points with 2:42 left in the third quarter on an Alanna Smith 3-pointer.
Nevertheless, things began to click once again for the Liberty on a sparkling floating three-pointer from Marine Johannes to push the lead back to seven at 60-53.
The Liberty kept up their strong play and extended their lead — the largest being by 17 points — with Jones finding her consistency again, adding 12 more points after scoring six in the first half to finish with 18.
“Just really happy for JJ, to be quite honest. She just [is] playing so well on both ends of the ball for us and that’s why we are where we are at the moment,” Brondello said. “I think her and Stewie have this great combination. … We’re establishing her down low on offense and she’s gone to work.”
The five-game win streak is the Liberty’s longest this season.
They begin a four-game road trip starting on Sunday in Indianapolis to face the Fever at 3 p.m.