Williams scores 31, lifts the Dream to OT win over Liberty

NEW YORK — Courtney Williams has always loved taking the big shot.

With the game tied in overtime and under 10 seconds left, Williams told coach Mike Petersen in a timeout just to give her the ball and she’d win the game.

Williams did just that, hitting a tie-breaking 3pointer with 1.6 seconds left to lift the Atlanta Dream to a 90-87 overtime win over the New York Liberty on Saturday.

“This is what I live for. I live for big shots,” said Williams, who finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. “Confidence is never lacking, I wanted the big shots.”

Petersen, who took over just before the season started when Nicki Collen left for Baylor, said in the final timeout that he was all set to “go all coachie on them, draw up the Mona-stinking-Lisa of plays.”

“Courtney Williams looked at me and said, ‘Give me the ball.’ She’s playing so good tonight, if I don’t give her the ball there I’m the dumbest man in history.”

With the game tied at 87, Williams took the inbounds with 9.8 seconds left, dribbled to the wing, and hit the tie-breaking shot.

New York (5-2) had one last chance, but Sabrina Ionescu’s fling off the inbounds was off-target.

Both teams struggled in overtime. New York made its only basket on Michaela Onyenwere’s 3-pointer with 1:17 left. Williams tied the game at 87 with 34 seconds to go. Onyenwere then missed a 3 from the wing with the shot clock winding down to set up Williams’ winner.

Onyenwere finished with a career-best 29 points for the Liberty. Betnijah Laney added 20 points and 11 assists. She’s scored 20 or more points in every game this season.

“This is a long season, there will be games like this,” said New York guard Sami Whitcomb. “There’s an ebb and flow to every season. We have to stay even-keeled. We have to be focusing on the next game.”

Atlanta squandered a six-point lead in the final 3:21 of regulation as New York scored eight straight points to go up 82-80 on Whitcomb’s free throw. Elizabeth Williams then converted a layup with 10.6 seconds left to tie it at 82. She also had a block at the other end when former teammate Laney drove the lane.

Courtney Williams had a chance to win the game at the end of the fourth quarter, but her floater from above the foul line was off the mark.