NEW YORK, NY - After nearly overcoming an 18-point deficit on the second night of a back-to-back, the Seattle Storm lost 78-74 to the New York Liberty at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Rookie forward Breanna Stewart recorded game highs of 24 points and 16 rebounds as Seattle dropped to 6-12 on the season.
New York had a comfortable lead for most of the contest, but the Storm rallied in the fourth quarter and pulled within two at the 1:14 mark on one of Stewart’s four three-pointers. Neither team was able to score until Storm guard Sue Bird was fouled with four seconds to go. Bird made her first free throw but missed the second, the Liberty secured the rebound, and Tanisha Wright drained a pair of free throws to make it 77-74. New York’s Sugar Rodgers stole the ensuing inbounds pass and added a free throw to clinch the victory.
Wright and Tina Charles paced the Liberty (13-6) with 18 points apiece, while Rodgers added 14 and seven assists. Stewart, who shot 9-for-18 from the field, notched her second straight double-double and her seventh of the season. Bird added to her league-leading assist total by notching 10 helpers Wednesday night, tying her season high. Second-year wing Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scored a season-high 10 points off the bench.
Seattle kept it close in the opening minutes, but New York jumped out to a double-digit lead late in the first quarter as Rodgers and Charles started to take control. The Liberty made 10 if its first 14 shots, while the Storm started just 3-of-14 from the floor. It was the second straight low-scoring first quarter for the Storm, which managed 11 points Wednesday night while New York put up 23 on 57.9 percent shooting.