Stewart nets 18, hurts knee in Liberty's G1 win

PHOENIX -- Natasha Cloud scored 23 points, Breanna Stewart added 18 earlier hurting her genu successful overtime and the New York Liberty defeated the Phoenix Mercury 76-69 connected Sunday successful Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round playoff series.

New York volition beforehand to the semifinals with a triumph successful Game 2 connected Wednesday successful New York.

Stewart fell to the the crushed and grabbed astatine her near genu aft making a layup with 3:01 to play successful overtime. She stayed successful the crippled and missed the escaped throw, trying to play done the injury. She near the crippled astir a infinitesimal aboriginal and didn't return.

New York manager Sandy Brondello had nary update connected Stewart's wounded aft the game. The New York prima had a bony bruise successful her different genu successful precocious July that forced her to miss astir a period of the season.

Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 15 points and Alyssa Thomas had 14 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. DeWanna Bonner added 12 points.

Cloud deed a 3-pointer to unfastened the OT and spark an 8-0 tally that made it 73-65 with 1:51 left. Phoenix got wrong four, but Leonie Fiebich, who finished with 10 points, deed a immense 3-pointer to seal the win.

Cloud, who played successful Phoenix past season, made back-to-back layups to springiness the Liberty a two-point pb with 4:17 near successful the 4th quarter. Copper answered with 2 escaped throws and, aft a turnover by Sabrina Ionescu, Thomas dropped a no-look walk to Copper for a wide-open layup that gave the Mercury a 65-63 pb with 1:44 remaining.

Stewart past made a pugnacious handbasket successful the lane 13 seconds aboriginal that yet forced overtime.

The Liberty, who averaged 13.8 turnovers successful the regular season, finished with 20 turnovers -- 1 shy of their play precocious -- which included 14 aft halftime.

The Mercury made 25 of 77 (33%) from the tract and changeable 23% (6 of 26) from 3-point range.