WNBA: Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu lead Liberty past Storm

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) greets teammates, including forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, left, and forward Nyara Sabally (8) as Seattle Storm center Ezi Magbegor (13) looks on during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

SEATTLE— Breanna Stewart scored 32 points, Sabrina Ionescu added 25 and the New York Liberty pulled away for a 98-85 win over the Seattle Storm on Friday night.

Leonie Fiebich added 12 points for the Liberty (27-7), who bounced back after losing to the last-place Los Angeles Sparks to end a three-game West Coast road trip.

Jonquel Jones, who missed the last game with illness and was still under the weather, grabbed 11 rebounds as the Liberty dominated the boards 45-17. New York had 17 offensive rebounds.

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New York shot 50.7% and was 12 of 26 from 3-point range, which helped offset 18 turnovers Seattle turned into 24 points.

Seattle (19-12) dropped into a tie with Las Vegas for fourth place but clinched a playoff spot because of losses by Atlanta and Chicago.

Seattle shot 46.5% from the field but was just 5 of 16 in the fourth quarter. Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 26 but had just two in the fourth quarter to go with seven assists. Jewell Loyd had 20 points and Nneka Ogwumike had 15.

The game seemed destined to be New York’s when Ionescu scored an unusual basket midway through the fourth quarter to make it 89-79. On a drive to the basket, she fell as she attempted a contested layup. The rebound fell to her, and from her knees she banked it in.

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The Storm got back within six with under three minutes to play but Fiebich grabbed two offensive rebounds before hitting a 3-pointer and then Ionescu closed it out with six more points.

There were seven ties and seven lead changes in the first quarter that ended with the Liberty up 27-26. New York then scored the first 11 of the second quarter, using three 3s, the last two by Stewart.

A driving layup by Stewart made it 40-30 but Seattle stormed back with eight straight points and took a 44-42 lead on a pair of 3-pointers. It was 51-49 for Seattle at the break, the most points the Liberty allowed in a half this season.

Diggins-Smith had 14 points and Ogwumike 11 for Seattle while Stewart, back where she started her career, had 22, more than her per-game average (20.1).

Ionescu scored 12 points in the last 5 1/2 minutes, to help New York take a 74-71 lead after three quarters.