22-0 run in 4th quarter pushes Liberty past Sky

Breanna Stewart collected 26 points and 14 rebounds to lift the visiting New York Liberty to an 86-69 victory over the Chicago Sky on Sunday.

Stewart made 10 of 22 shots from the floor for the Liberty (30-7), who benefited from a 22-0 run in the fourth quarter en route to securing their sixth straight victory.

New York’s Courtney Vandersloot recorded 20 points, 10 assists and six steals in her return to Chicago. She spent her first 12 WNBA seasons with the Sky before signing with the Liberty in February.

Betnijah Laney scored 17 points and Jocelyn Willoughby added 10 off the bench for New York, which shot 47.2 percent from the floor to move within 1 1/2 games of the first-place Las Vegas Aces (32-6).

Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu sat out for the second straight game due to a right calf injury.

Kahleah Copper scored 23 points for the Sky (15-22), who saw their modest two-game winning streak come to an end and fell to 6-13 at home this season.

Rookie Sika Kone made a basket to give Chicago a 61-60 lead early in the fourth quarter before Stewart responded with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. That shot ignited New York, which saw Vandersloot convert three times from beyond the arc and Willoughby and Laney each sink a 3-pointer during a 22-0 run.

Kone made a layup as the Sky erased an eight-point deficit and claimed a two-point lead at 51-49 with 3:17 remaining in the third quarter. Undaunted, the Liberty finished the quarter on a 10-6 run to seize a two-point advantage.

Copper made a pair of baskets late in the second quarter to bring Chicago within one point at 37-36 before New York countered with the final two buckets of the half.

Willoughby made a driving layup and Stewart added a short bank shot to stake the Liberty to a five-point lead at halftime.

—Field Level Media