Ionescu, Allen combine for 40 points as Liberty down Fever to end 7-game skid | CBC Sports

Sabrina Ionescu scored 23 points, Rebecca Allen added 17 and the New York Liberty beat the visiting Indiana Fever 87-74 on Wednesday night to snap a seven-game losing streak.

New York was outscored 33-17 in the second quarter, but used two big runs in the second half to take control. New York went on a 13-0 run in the third to take a 53-52 lead on Natasha Howard’s three-point play. The Liberty also went on a 12-0 run, capped by Allen’s 3-pointer, in the fourth to make it 77-68.

Indiana missed its first 14 shots of the fourth and went 1 for 16 in the final 10 minutes. The Fever played at home on Tuesday night.

Howard and Stefanie Dolson each scored 16 points for New York (2-7). Ionescu reached the 20-point plateau for the third time this season.

New York scored the first 11 points of the game as Indiana didn’t make its first field goal until Bria Hartley’s corner 3-pointer with 5:13 remaining in the frame. It was Hartley’s first action of the season as she was recovering from a hamstring injury.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 17 points for Indiana (3-9), which lost to Washington on Tuesday in the first of a back-to-back. Victoria Vivians added 14 points and Hartley 10.

Danielle Robinson sank a running 3-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer, extending Indiana’s lead to 47-40. Mitchell made three free throws at the end of the third after a questionable fourth foul on Ionescu to give Indiana a 66-65 lead.

New York announced before the game that guard Betnijah Laney underwent a successful arthroscopic partial meniscectomy on her right knee on Wednesday. She’ll be sidelined for approximately eight weeks.

Howard powers Dream past Lynx

Rhyne Howard scored 22 points, Kristy Wallace made five 3-pointers and scored a career-high 18 points and the Atlanta Dream beat the visiting Minnesota Lynx 84-76 on Wednesday night.

Wallace, a rookie from Baylor, entered with just five 3-pointers on the season. She finished 5 of 6 from long range to help Atlanta go 12 for 28.

Erica Wheeler and Aari McDonald each scored 13 points for Atlanta (6-3). Monique Billings had 10 points and nine rebounds. Wheeler also had nine of the Dream’s 21 assists on 33 made baskets.

Canada’s Bridget Carleton had two points, one assist and one rebound in 13 minutes of game time for the Lynx.

Atlanta forced Minnesota into 24 turnovers as Aari McDonald had seven steals.

Kayla McBride scored 20 points and Sylvia Fowles had 16 points and 20 rebounds for Minnesota (2-8), which sits in last place in the WNBA standings. Nikolina Milic added 14 points.

Atlanta led 43-37 at halftime behind 12 points from Howard.