New York (AP) – Qahlia Cooper scored 27 points and Courtney Williams added 12, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to help the Chicago Sky Rally beat the New York Liberty 86-82 on Sunday in the second meeting between the two teams in a three-point game. days.
The teams played Friday night in Chicago, with Liberty rallying to win by one point on a Brenna Stewart shot with 7.1 seconds left in the game.
In this game, it is the sky’s turn to gather. Down by 19 early in the third quarter, the Sky (4-3) pulled ahead for the first time in the game on a Williams jumper with 4:24 left that made it 72-70.
A few seconds later, Williams made an offensive foul on Stewart and after a challenge was denied by New York (4-2), the energetic guard leaned over to the crowd, booing.
“I have to enjoy it,” said Williams, smiling. “They were booing me. They’re going to bring you all in.”
Stewart then scored New York’s next six points, tying the game at 76 with just over two minutes remaining.
Williams answered with a 3 with 1:42 left.
Courtney Vandersloot’s layup with 59 seconds left put New York within 80-78. Williams was then fouled and hit the first two free throws to make the game a three-point game.
After a timeout, Sabrina Ionescu was charged with an offensive foul with 27 seconds remaining on the inside bounds.
Chicago then hit four free throws in the final 17 seconds to seal the win. This was the second year in a row that Chicago had a massive comeback. Last season, the Sky rose from 28 points to defeat the Aces, setting a WNBA record.
Stewart had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead New York, which saw them win four straight games.
New York tried to carry the momentum from Friday into this game. Liberty scored the first 13 points and built a 17-point halftime lead before Chicago recovered.
“Hopefully it’s a wake-up. Some guys need to wake up a little bit. We walked away from what we’ve been through,” said Liberty coach Sandy Brondello. “Our profile was terrible. We don’t find ways to get touches (Breanna Stewart). We just didn’t play hard enough. Disappointing, but the movie isn’t going to lie. So we have to use it as a learning opportunity now.”
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