Sabrina Ionescu scored the game-winning layup with 10 seconds remaining as the New York Liberty edged the Chicago Sky 96-95 on Wednesday in Commissioner’s Cup play, extending their run to eight straight wins.
CHICAGO — Sabrina Ionescu didn’t wait for the final seconds to feel bigger; she made them feel inevitable.
With 10 seconds remaining. the New York Liberty guard hit the winning layup to put her team over the Chicago Sky 96-95 in Commissioner’s Cup play on Wednesday night. The swing happened fast and clean: Ionescu subbed back onto the floor with 15.6 seconds remaining. caught the ball. drove to the basket. and finished with her left hand to seal the victory.
It was the latest exclamation point on a dominant stretch for the Liberty. The win pushed New York to an eighth-straight victory and kept them perfect in the Commissioner’s Cup against the East.
Jonquel Jones led the Liberty’s steady pressure with 19 points, while also contributing on the glass with eight rebounds. Jones went 6-for-9 from the field. Breanna Stewart and Satou Sabally each scored 17 points, and Rebekah Gardner added 10 points off the bench.
For the Liberty, the details mattered in the closing moments. Ionescu finished the night with 10 points, and the way she returned late—then turned the game in an instant—defined the finish.
Chicago had answers, even if it couldn’t complete the comeback. Rookie Sydney Taylor scored 24 points in her first career start, shooting 57 per cent from downtown. Gabriela Jaquez, also a rookie, added a season-high 22 points.
Olivia Miles is the only rookie with more 20-point games this season, a detail that underscored how quickly Chicago’s youth has been showing up on the biggest stages. Still, the Sky fell one point short as the Liberty held on.
New York’s next step comes quickly: the Liberty host the Washington Mystics on Friday. The Sky, meanwhile, travel to face the Dallas Wings on Saturday.
Sabrina Ionescu New York Liberty Chicago Sky Commissioner’s Cup Jonquel Jones Breanna Stewart Satou Sabally Sydney Taylor Gabriela Jaquez