New York Liberty Head Coach Walt Hopkins, along with stars Joyner Holmes and Layshia Clarendon share these thoughts after the team’s 83-67 loss to the Phoenix Mercury in WNBA action on 9/5
The Liberty (2-16) fell to the Mercury (12-7), 83-67, on Saturday night. Phoenix led by as many as 18 on the night, finishing with a 16-point advantage over New York.
New York shot 27.2% from the field and a season-low 11.4% from beyond the arc.
The Liberty outrebounded the Mercury 53-43, grabbing 21 offensive rebounds which is a season-high and also ties the franchise record.
The team’s 53 rebounds is also a single-game season-high across the WNBA this season, and four boards shy of the Liberty’s all-time record (57).
New York also outscored Phoenix’s bench, 42-13, which marks a season high. The Liberty outscored the Mercury 19-11 in second chance points.
The Liberty’s 7 turnovers tonight tied their season-low, 11.2 below the team’s average.
New York held Diana Taurasi to 9 points, which is her second-lowest scoring game of the season.
Key Runs:
Phoenix opened the game shooting 2-2 from beyond the arc to take a 6-0 lead early in the first quarter. The Mercury proceeded to extend its lead to 12-3 before a New York timeout with 6:48 remaining in the first.
Out of the timeout, the Liberty ignited a 6-0 run to cut the Mercury’s 9-point lead to 3 with 4:55 remaining. Phoenix outscored New York 19-23 in the opening quarter. Joyner Holmes scored a team-high 9 first quarter points on 4-6 shooting from the field and 1-1 from deep.
To open the second quarter, New York scored 6 unmatched points to take the lead 25-23 with 8:34 remaining before half.
A 16-8 run by the Mercury helped the team regain a 6-point advantage with 2:46 remaining in the second quarter. Phoenix went into the locker room up 45-38 after outscoring New York 22-19 in the second.
Phoenix opened the half on a 6-0 run to take an 11-point lead. The Mercury commanded a 14-point lead with 4:25 remaining in the third after extending the run to 15-8 over the Liberty.
Phoenix outscored New York 23-16 in the third and ended the quarter up 68-54.
The Liberty opened up the final frame with an 8-2 run. The Mercury responded with an 8-0 run of their own, finishing the game with a 16-point lead.
Up Next: The New York Liberty will take on the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday, September 7, at 7:00 p.m. ET on CBSSN and Fox Sports GO.
PLAYER NOTABLES
Joyner Holmes scored a team-high 13 points and recorded her first career double-double grabbing 13 rebounds in 24:01 minutes. Holmes’ 13 points and rebounds is the first 13/13 game by a Liberty rookie in team history. It also marks just the 30th time any player, rookie or veteran, has recorded 13 and 13 off the bench in WNBA history.
Layshia Clarendon totaled 12 points, shooting 55.6% from the field, including 3 assists in their 13th double-digit scoring contest this season.
Kia Nurse and Jazmine Jones grabbed 5 rebounds apiece, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Jones got into foul trouble early in the first half and fouled out in the fourth quarter.
Neah Odom recorded 8 points, a career-high 7 boards and 2 assists over 33:28 minutes.
Jocelyn Willoughby added 7 points and a career-high 9 rebounds off the bench.
Skylar Diggins-Smith netted a season-high 30 points along with 7 rebounds across 30:11 minutes for Phoenix.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough shot 60.0% (3-5) from beyond the arc, totaling 15 points on the night.
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