Liberty's season ends with a two-point loss as the Dream complete a semifinal sweep
Breanna Stewart missed a contested layup in the final seconds of an 85-83 Game 3 loss at Barclays Center. The No. 8 seed upset top-seeded Minnesota in the first round before Atlanta swept them.
Photo: John Mac / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Atlanta Dream beat the Liberty 85-83 in Game 3 on Friday, Oct. 9, at Barclays Center to sweep the WNBA semifinal series, ending New York's season.
- Breanna Stewart missed a contested layup with about nine seconds left that would have tied the game. Stewart and Jonquel Jones each scored 26 points; Jones added 14 rebounds.
- Angel Reese led Atlanta with 22 points. The Dream face Golden State in the WNBA Finals starting Saturday, Oct. 17.
- New York was the No. 8 seed and knocked off top-seeded Minnesota in the first round, amNewYork and the WNBA reported.
- Sabrina Ionescu scored 12 points and said after the game that back problems had bothered her 'a lot' this season.
The New York Liberty's season is over. The Atlanta Dream beat them 85-83 in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals on Friday night at Barclays Center, finishing a three-game sweep.
The final seconds
Atlanta led 83-81 with 17.7 seconds left after a turnover gave New York one last chance. Breanna Stewart drove for a contested layup that would have tied the game with about nine seconds to go, but it did not fall, and DeWanna Bonner made two free throws with 6.2 seconds left to seal it, according to the WNBA's game recap.
"I missed a bunny to tie the game which really stinks," Stewart said afterward, per the recap.
How it got there
The Dream led by 12 early in the third quarter before New York answered with a 16-4 run and took a 68-66 lead into the fourth. Atlanta then held the Liberty without a basket for more than six minutes and went ahead for good late, the WNBA recap said.
Stewart finished with a game-high-tying 26 points, 18 of them in the second half, amNewYork reported. Jonquel Jones also scored 26 and grabbed 14 rebounds. The game turned physical in the second quarter, when Jones and Atlanta's Angel Reese were each given a technical foul after bumping chests, according to the recap.
Reese led the Dream with 22 points and nine rebounds. Rhyne Howard added 21 points, and Jordin Canada had 19 points and 11 assists, amNewYork reported. Atlanta, which played without leading scorer Allisha Gray because of a finger injury, has not lost a game this postseason and will face the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Finals starting Saturday, Oct. 17.
A season of injuries and an upset
The Liberty, who won the franchise's first championship two years ago, struggled for consistency this season and finished as the No. 8 seed, the WNBA recap said. They upset top-seeded Minnesota in the first round, becoming the first No. 8 seed to reach the semifinals in league history, amNewYork reported.
Sabrina Ionescu scored 12 points in Game 3. She said afterward that her back had bothered her "a lot" and that it was not an easy year for her physically or mentally, according to amNewYork. Coach Chris DeMarco leaned on his best players, and only eight Liberty players saw action, amNewYork reported.
"We know we have a team that can win this thing," DeMarco said, amNewYork reported. "But it hurts, it does hurt."
- amNewYorkLiberty swept by Dream in WNBA semis
- WNBAGame Recap: Atlanta Dream vs. New York Liberty (Game 3)
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