Coming off one of their most dominant performances in franchise history, the New York Liberty host the Washington Mystics on Sunday afternoon in a Commissioner’s Cup showdown.
New York (8-3) rolled past Atlanta 110-80 Friday night, scoring the second-most points in a game in franchise history. The Liberty’s season-best 17 3-pointers played a big part in their success.
Betnijah Laney, who hit four of those shots from distance on her way to scoring 19 points, said that the latest win is a sign of the steps forward this team continues to take.
“I think we’ve done a good job of finding our chemistry, of understanding each other, understanding how each other plays,” Laney said. “We’ve also become more aggressive on defense from the first game to now.”
The Mystics (8-4) are on a roll as well, cruising past Chicago 80-59 on Thursday. Elena Delle Donne scored 18 points to pace the team to its third straight win.
Washington is right behind New York in the standings – the two teams sit third and fourth, respectively. The Mystics, however, posted an 80-64 win over the Liberty in the season opener on May 19.
The Mystics have held their last three opponents to under 70 points and have done that seven times overall this year.
“We’re focusing on ourselves and trying to build on what we’ve been seeing in some of our wins,” Delle Donne said. “We’re trying to not have some of these lapses, and yes, we saw some tonight, but we just have to lock into some of our defensive schemes, especially with New York coming up. They’ll make you pay for it.”
The game between New York and Washington will be televised nationally on ABC. The Liberty are 4-3 in Commissioner’s Cup games this year, while the Mystics are 3-3.
–Field Level Media
