Breanna Stewart sets WNBA single-season scoring record, Liberty edge Wings
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 40 points to set the WNBA's single-season scoring record and the New York Liberty held off the Dallas Wings 94-93 on Tuesday night for their seventh straight victory.
New York (31-7) moved within a game of first-place Las Vegas (32-6) — with home games against Los Angeles and Washington remaining. The Aces close the season with a home-and-home series against Phoenix.
Stewart became the all-time leader with 861 points after her 15th point of the night. She reached 40-plus points for the fourth time this season and she also had 10 rebounds. She finished the game with 885 — 25 more than Diana Taurasi's mark set in 2006. Taurasi did it in only 34 games while it's taken Stewart 38.
Dallas (20-18) was seeking to clinch the No. 4 seed with a victory.
Stewart was fouled on a jumper with 42.3 seconds left and Dallas challenged the call, but it was unsuccessful. Stewart made the first free throw to break a tie at 93-all and she secured an offensive rebound after missing the second free throw.
New York forward Betnijah Laney nearly banked in a jumper but it rolled out and Dallas headed the other way with about 25 seconds left. Satou Sabally had a good look in the lane but her shot hit hard off the backboard and Stewart grabbed another rebound to seal it.
Laney scored 22 points and Courtney Vandersloot had 16 points and 10 assists for New York. Sabrina Ionescu was limited to just five points in 25 minutes. Vandersloot reached 300 assists on the season, equaling her career-high set in 2019.
Sabally finished with 27 points for Dallas. Arike Ogunbowale added 19 points and Natasha Howard had 14 points and 10 rebounds.