Liberty and Ionescu keep WNBA playoff hopes alive

Natasha Howard scored 24 points, Miramonte-Orinda alum Sabrina Ionescu added 22 and the New York Liberty kept their WNBA playoff hopes alive with a 91-80 victory over the visiting Washington Mystics on Friday night.

The Liberty (12-20) need Washington to lose to Minnesota on Sunday and for Los Angeles to lose at Dallas that day as well. The Liberty, who snapped an eight-game losing skid, hold the tiebreaker by virtue of having a better record against the two other teams.

In other games, Jewell Lloyd tied a WNBA record with 22 points in the first quarter and finished with a career-high 37 to help the fourth-seeded Seattle Storm secure a first-round bye in the playoffs with a 94-85 win over the visiting Phoenix Mercury, which is the fifth seed . ... Riquna Williams scored 22 points, Kelsey Plum added 20 and the Las Vegas Aces (23-8) used a big run to close the first half to rout the host Chicago Sky 103-70 and clinch the second seed and a double bye into the semifinals for the playoffs. Chicago was locked into the sixth seed and will host the seventh seed in a first-round game Thursday . ... Sylvia Fowles had 21 points and 10 rebounds and the Minnesota Lynx pulled away in the second half for a 92-73 win at the Indiana Fever to clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs. Indiana (6-25) will finish with the league’s worst record and will have the best chance at winning the draft lottery.