Connecticut Sun at New York Liberty
· WNBA Commissioner's Cup
Ionescu scores 25 points, Liberty beat Sun 81-79 in opener
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 76-73 with 2:31 remaining and the Sun trailed the rest of the way.
Alyssa Thomas led Connecticut with 25 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Reigning WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones had 15 points, Jasmine Thomas scored 13, Brionna Jones added 11 points and DiJonai Carrington had 10.
Regular Season Series
Series tied 2-2
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 79 - 81 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 79 - 81 |
| 4th 3.3 |  |
Jonquel Jones makes 25-foot three point jumper (Alyssa Thomas assists) | 79 - 81 |
| 4th 5.1 | |
Sun 20 Sec. timeout | 76 - 81 |
| 4th 5.3 | |
Brionna Jones defensive rebound | 76 - 81 |
Statistics
 CONN |
 NY |
|
|---|---|---|
| 27-64 | FG | 28-59 |
| 42 | Field Goal % | 47 |
| 4-17 | 3PT | 10-25 |
| 24 | Three Point % | 40 |
| 21-28 | FT | 15-21 |
| 75 | Free Throw % | 71 |
| 34 | Rebounds | 27 |
| 11 | Offensive Rebounds | 7 |
| 23 | Defensive Rebounds | 20 |
| 16 | Assists | 17 |
| 10 | Steals | 9 |
| 6 | Blocks | 4 |
| 15 | Turnovers | 15 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 2 |
| 16 | Total Turnovers | 17 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 31 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 18 |
| 24 | Fast Break Points | 6 |
| 44 | Points in Paint | 18 |
| 19 | Fouls | 25 |
| 10 | Largest Lead | 11 |
Game Information
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Attendance: 6,829 · Capacity:
2025-26 Eastern Conference Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Indiana |
- | 0 | W1 | 1 | 1 |
 Atlanta |
0.5 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 |
 Connecticut |
0.5 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 |
 Toronto |
0.5 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 |
 Chicago |
1 | 1 | L1 | 0 | 0 |
 Washington |
1 | 1 | L1 | 0 | 0 |
 New York |
1 | 1 | L1 | 0 | 0 |
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