Copper, Williams help Sky rally from 19-down to beat Liberty 86-82
NEW YORK - Kahleah Copper scored 27 points and Courtney Williams added 12, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to help the Sky rally to beat the New York Liberty 86-82 on Sunday in the second meeting between the teams in three days.
The teams played Friday night in Chicago, with the Liberty rallying for a one-point win on a shot by Breanna Stewart with 7.1 seconds left.
In this game, it was the Sky's turn to rally. Down by 19 early in the third quarter, the Sky (4-3) pulled ahead for the first time in the game on Williams' jumper with 4:24 left that made it 72-70.
A few seconds later, Williams drew an offensive foul on Stewart and after a challenge by New York (4-2) was denied, the spirited guard playfully bowed to the crowd, drawing loud boos.
"Got to have fun with it," Williams said smiling. "They were booing me. Going to turn y'all up."
Stewart then scored the next six points for New York, tying the game at 76 with just over two minutes left.
Williams answered with a 3-pointer with 1:42 left.
Courtney Vandersloot's layup with 59 seconds left got New York within 80-78. Williams was then fouled and hit the first of two free throws to make it a three-point game.
After a timeout, Sabrina Ionescu was charged with an offensive foul with 27 seconds left on the inbounds.
The Sky then hit four free throws in the final 17 seconds to seal the win. It was the second consecutive year that the Sky pulled off a monumental comeback. Last season, the Sky rallied from 28 points down to beat the Aces, setting a WNBA record.
Stewart had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead New York, which saw its four-game winning streak snapped.
New York tried to carry the momentum from Friday into this game. The Liberty scored the first 13 points and built a 17-point halftime lead before the Sky rallied.
"Hopefully this is a wake-up. Some players need to wake up a little bit more. We went away from what worked for us," Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. "Our shot profile was terrible. We don't find ways to get (Breanna Stewart) touches. We just didn't play tough enough. Disappointing, but the film won't lie. So we've got to use it as a learning opportunity now."