By Tennie Sumague
Eagle News Service

(Brooklyn, New York) – The New York Liberty had their four-game winning streak snapped by the Dallas Wings 98-88 in Wednesday’s Camp Day matinee matchup in front of a sellout crowd of 9,012 fans at Barclays Center.

The Liberty led by two at the half as All-Star guard and 3-point shootout champion, Sabrina Ionescu scored 19 of her 22 points in the second quarter.  New York opened the third quarter with a five-point lead, but Wings All-Star Arike Ogunbowale helped Dallas surge to a six-point lead after the Liberty failed to capitalize on three field goal attempts.

Dallas took advantage of New York’s struggles on offense, sparking a 24-6 run and controlled the second half led by Ogunbowale, who finished with 25 points. The Wings committed only two turnovers in the entire game, tying an WNBA record. 

All-Star forward Breanna Stewart led the Liberty in scoring with 25 points.

“They did a good job keeping their composite. Two turnovers is pretty incredible,” Stewart said. “It shows that we weren’t the aggressors on defense, and we need to be better.”

The sellout crowd at Barclays Center were mainly camp organizations across the Greater New York City area. The WNBA has continued to foster relationships with young fans to encourage the next generation to follow and play the game of basketball. 

Despite the loss, the kids in attendance cheered loudly until the end, which inspired Ionescu’s response of being a good role model to these young fans.

“That’s why we play the game is to continue to inspire,” said Ionescu. 

“A lot of [the kids in attendance] don’t care what the score is, but they watch how you react to losing, winning, how you carry yourself and that’s what’s important because if you leave a good impression on at least one kid, then we have done our job.”

(Eagle News Service)