Ionescu sparks Liberty past Sun in opener

Sabrina Ionescu had 25 points and six assists and sparked a late run to help the New York Liberty beat the Connecticut Sun, 81-79, on Saturday night in the WNBA season opener for both teams.

Natasha Howard scored 16 points, Sami Whitcomb had 15 points and five assists and Jocelyn Willoughby added 13 points for New York. Willoughby — the No. 10 overall selection in the 2020 WNBA draft — did not play last season after suffering a torn left Achilles tendon in a preseason scrimmage.

Ionescu was fouled as she hit a 12-foot jumper and hit the free throw to give the Liberty a 71-70 lead with 3:51 to play.

Jasmine Thomas answered with a three-point play to put Connecticut back in front 10 seconds later, but Ionescu followed with a 3-pointer and a driving layup to make it 7673 with 2:31 remaining and the Sun trailed the rest of the way.

Alyssa Thomas led Connecticut with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Jonquel Jones had 15 points and Jasmine Thomas added 13. Thomas, the reigning WNBA MVP, was 6 of 17 from field and had six turnovers.

Note

Becky Hammon retired from the WNBA as a player in 2014 after a decorated 16-year career. In her return to the league as a head coach late Friday, she appreciated her players’ passion in Las Vegas’ 106-88 victory at Phoenix. Indeed, Hammon’s WNBA return after eight years as an NBA assistant in San Antonio has put her in the spotlight. “What made it really cool for me is I could feel their energy for me. I could feel how bad they wanted it for me,” Hammon said of the Aces’ opener as the WNBA’s 26th season got underway. Last season, the Aces had the league’s second-best record under coach Bill Laimbeer, but lost to Phoenix in the semifinals.