An early turnover barrage and the absence of Asia Durr doomed the New York Liberty to another blowout before a respectable fourth quarter.
.@KayNurse11 with a game high 19 pts. On Saturday we’re back on home court vs LA. ? pic.twitter.com/mOvnEgRnmr
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) July 15, 2019
In their last visit to Seattle, the New York Liberty used a strong fourth quarter to earn a narrow win over the local Storm. Another strong final frame awaited in Sunday night’s rematch, but deja vu failed to occur within the all-important final score.
Crystal Langhorne led the Seattle way with 19 points from the bench, helping guide the Storm to a 78-69 victory at Alaska Airlines Arena.
? @crystalanghorne knockin' down her second 3⃣ #WeRepSeattle
?WNBA League Pass pic.twitter.com/uYsOmCAqYj— WNBA (@WNBA) July 14, 2019
Not in her house! ? @crystalanghorne #WeRepSeattle pic.twitter.com/JQtbuxxfva
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 15, 2019
Seattle led from the get-go, energized by an onslaught of Liberty turnovers. New York (7-10) wound up turning it over 13 times in the first half, which Seattle converted into points. The Storm (10-8) led 43-30 at halftime, building their lead behind 11 points off the turnovers.
The Liberty managed to limit their second half turnovers to six, but poor shooting was their new nemesis. Tina Charles saw a streak of eight straight games in double figures end with a 2-of-15 output from the field. The struggles were also on display from deep, as the Liberty shot 4-of-16 from three-point range. Kia Nurse wound up leading the way for New York. She was the lone starter to shoot 50 percent from the field (5-of-10) and the only player overall in double-figures.
New York also missed the services of Asia Durr. The rookie was active but missed her second straight due to a groin strain. Fellow starting guard mainstay Brittany Boyd left the game with an ankle injury in the third quarter.
In a positive development, Charles moved into sixth place on the WNBA’s all-time rebounding list, passing Taj McWilliams-Franklin.
Seattle would lead by as much 23 in the second half, but the Liberty managed to make the final respectable with a 26-12 advantage in the finale. Most of the contributions came from a bench unit that scored 28 points. Marine Johannes paced the reserves with seven points.
Alright Han Xu‼️#LibertyLoud pic.twitter.com/iDYBnnjWPE
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 15, 2019
The Liberty will have just under a week to prepare for a chance to end their three-game losing streak. They’ll return home to Westchester County Center on Saturday afternoon to battle the Los Angeles Sparks (3:00 p.m ET, Fox Sports Go/NBA TV). The teams have split their two meetings thus far, each previously winning on the other’s home court.
