Stewart scores 27, Liberty cruise past Sparks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 27 points in just 20 minutes, Sabrina Ionescu had 18 points and six assists, and the New York Liberty cruised past the Los Angeles Sparks 103-68 on Thursday night.

New York scored the opening 10 points of the game and then held Los Angeles to just 10 first-quarter points to build a 19-point lead. Stewart and Ionescu combined to score 26 points in the first half, while the Sparks had just 28 and New York built a 29-point halftime lead.

Stewart made a 3-pointer on three straight possessions and Kayla Thornton followed with a 3-pointer to make it 80-40 with 2:18 left in the third quarter.

The Liberty won by at least 35 points for the third time this season, setting a WNBA record. New York also led by 20-plus points at halftime for the third time, while the rest of the WNBA has only accomplished the feat three times this season.

Thornton finished with 16 points for New York (22-4). Stewart was 10 of 15, including 3 of 4 from distance.

Rae Burrell led Los Angeles (6-19) with 15 points. Dearica Hamby had 14 points and 13 rebounds, Rickea Jackson added 13 points and Kia Nurse scored 10.

The Liberty's 103 points were the most they have scored against the Sparks in the series history.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball