Breanna Stewart scored 24 points and Jonquel Jones added 14 points and 11 rebounds in their return to Connecticut as the New York Liberty beat the Sun 89-81 on Tuesday night.
The victory moved Liberty to a tie with Connecticut for the top of the Commissioners Cup standings in the Eastern Conference. Each team has one game left although New York has the tiebreaker having swept both games against the Sun.
Las Vegas has nearly closed out the Western Conference spot, going 6-0.
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New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) drives to the basket during a WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun on June 27, 2023, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Alyssa Thomas led Connecticut (12-4) with 11 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for the fifth triple-double of her career. She now she has done it in consecutive games and three times in the last seven days. Thomas is the all-time record holder in the category. DiJonai Carrington scored her career-high 23 points to lead Connecticut.
New York (10-3) led 80-68 with 6:26 to play before Connecticut (12-4) scored 13 straight, the last of which came on a layup contested by Thomas with 3:39 to play that it was his eleventh point and gave him the triple-double. He also gave the Sun their first lead since the first half.
LYNX DEFEATS STORM BEHIND THE RUN OF NAPHEESA COLLIER WITH 33 POINTS
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) directs the offense during a WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun on June 27, 2023 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
That was the final point the team would score as New York closed out with nine straight points. Courtney Vandersloot made two free throws and then Betnijah Laney added a 3-pointer that made it 85-81.
Kayla Thornton followed with a runner in the lane with 40.4 seconds remaining. The Sun missed eight consecutive shots in the last three and a half minutes.
Carrington gave the Sun a chance to be in the game, scoring 17 of his points in the second half.
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New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) breaks up fast breaks during a WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun on June 27, 2023, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The game served as a homecoming for Jones, who played six seasons in Connecticut before being traded to New York in the offseason. Jones won WNBA MVP in 2021 and helped the Sun reach the finals twice, including last year.
The Sun played a video tribute to Jones a few minutes before kick-off to a warm ovation from the crowd.
Jones got the first basket for New York in a blistering first quarter that saw Connecticut lead 29-28 late. The back-and-forth action continued in the second quarter, where neither team was able to gain much of a lead. New York scored the last eight points of the half to go up 47-43 at halftime.
