Breanna Stewart powers Liberty to lopsided win vs. Sparks

Breanna Stewart scored 27 points to guide the New York Liberty to a 103-68 win over the host Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday.

New York has now topped Los Angeles in three straight meetings this season. The Liberty have also won eight in a row versus the Sparks since Aug. 2, 2022.

The Liberty came out hot in the opening quarter with a 10-0 lead in the first three minutes of the contest. Jonquel Jones scored five of those points for New York, including a 24-foot three-pointer to make it 5-0.

The Sparks cut it to 10-3, but the Liberty answered with seven straight points to go up 17-3. Stewart scored three points during that stretch.

New York's Kayla Thornton knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer to bump the lead to 29-10 after one quarter.

The Liberty continued their onslaught in the second quarter. Sabrina Ionescu drilled a 28-foot trey and tallied back-to-back free throws to help push New York's advantage to 38-10.

The Sparks briefly came alive on offense. Backed by eight combined points from Dearica Hamby and Kia Nurse, Los Angeles faced a 44-20 deficit with 5:15 left in the half.

Rae Burrell knocked down four free throws in less than a minute to cut the Sparks' deficit to 46-26 with 3:21 left.

New York, however, answered with an 11-2 run to take a 57-28 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, the Liberty pushed the lead to 31 points when Ionescu hit a long three-pointer to increase the lead to 64-33 with 8:13 left. Stewart knocked down three three-pointers in less than a minute to put New York up 77-40.

The Liberty took an 82-48 lead into the fourth quarter.

Ionescu chipped in 18 points and six assists for the Liberty. Thornton added 16 points, while Jones contributed nine points, five boards, four assists and two steals.

Hamby finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals for the Sparks. Burrell scored 15 points off the bench.

--Field Level Media