Jones Helps Lead Liberty Past Mystics

Photo: Special to the NY Beacon

New York Beacon intern Summar Lowe covered the Commissioner’s Cup game last June. 

NY Liberty Narrowly Defeats Washington Mystics in Commissioner’s Cup Game
By Summar Lowe

In a closely contested Commissioner’s Cup game, the New York Liberty narrowly defeated the
Washington Mystics, with numerous lead changes and strong performances from both teams.

Coming into the game the Mystics were ranked 12th in the WNBA, making their competitive play a
surprise for the Barclays Center home fans.

The second quarter was marked by significant back-and-forth action. The Mystics tied the game
at 26 with a three-point play at the 8:15 mark. Sabrina Ionescu responded, tying the game at 32
with a free throw pending at 5:30. Her successful free throw put the Liberty ahead, 33-32.
New York briefly regained momentum, leading by four points (40-36) with 3:32 left, thanks to
contributions from Stefanie Dolson and Breanna Stewart. However, the Mystics quickly
responded, tying the game at 40 with 2:35 left, courtesy of free throws by Hines-Allen.
Atkins then put the Mystics ahead with a deep three-pointer, making it 43-40 with 1:25 left.
Breanna Stewart tied the game again, scoring a layup and assisting on Dojkic’s three-pointer with
32.2 seconds remaining, bringing the score to 45-45 at halftime.

Jonquel Jones led the Liberty with 15 points in the first half, while Sabrina Ionescu added 11.
The Liberty shot 43.2% from the field and just under 40% from three-point range (7-18).
For the Mystics, Atkins led with 10 points, and Dolson and Edwards contributed 7 and 6 points,
respectively. Melbourne and Hines-Allen, coming off the bench, scored 7 and 6 points each. The
Mystics shot 54.5% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range (4-12), and outscored the
Liberty in points in the paint, 24-18.

The first half saw 10 lead changes and six ties, highlighting the competitive nature of the game.

The fourth quarter added to the excitement. With New York leading by two through three
quarters, Washington took a five-point lead with 8:50 left to play, fueled by five consecutive
points from Jade Melbourne. The Liberty responded with a 12-point run, sparked by back-to-
back threes from Leonie Fiebich and Kennedy Burke off the bench.

The Mystics cut the deficit to one point with 19.1 seconds remaining, but Jonquel Jones sealed
the win for the Liberty, scoring her final two points and securing New York’s victory.

Jones talked about the Liberty’s fourth-quarter prowess. “Grinding out how to win when it’s not pretty 

is a skill we have been able to capture in those moments when it’s not pretty.” This emphasizes 

Liberty’s ability to secure victories in the final quarter.

When the WNBA schedule resumes August 19th, the Libert will have the best record in the league 

at 21-4 having won 9 of their last 10. New York will start on the road against the Los Angeles Sparks

and their 6-18 record having lost 8 of their last 10 games.

All eyes will be on the Olympic women who are heavily favored to bring home another gold medal.