Stewart dominates, Liberty beat Dream for 4th straight win

NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 25 of her 33 points in the first half, Jonquel Jones had 19 points and 13 rebounds and the New York Liberty beat the Atlanta Dream 95-84 on Thursday night.

New York scored the opening 11 points and led 57-42 at halftime. Stewart became the first player in WNBA history with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in a half, according to ESPN Stat & Info. Stewart was 7 of 10 from the field in the first half and 9 of 10 at the free-throw line to go along with seven rebounds and five assists.

Atlanta began the second half on a 10-2 run, capped by Allisha Gray's 3-pointer, to pull to 59-52. New York only scored 16 points in the third quarter as its lead was trimmed to 73-66.

But the Liberty went ahead by double figures for good after scoring nine straight points to begin the fourth. Sabrina Ionescu made it 92-78 after her fourth 3-pointer with 2:58 remaining.

Stewart, who reached 30 points for the fourth time this season, also had 12 rebounds and five assists for New York (18-5). Ionescu finished with 12 points and nine assists. Betnijah Laney scored 12 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Gray scored 18 points of her 25 points in the first half for Atlanta (13-11). Aari McDonald added 18 points. Rhyne Howard and Cheyenne Parker each had 10 points.

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