By ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored a season-high 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the New York Liberty to an 88-75 victory Tuesday night, June 4, over the Chicago Sky, who lost rookie Angel Reese to an ejection in the fourth quarter.
Reese was thrown out with 2:31 remaining after receiving two technical fouls following a brief interaction with an official.
Sabrina Ionescu added 24 points for the Liberty, who won their fourth straight.
New York opened the game on an 21-6 run after making five of its first seven 3-pointers, while Chicago started 3 of 16 from the field. The Sky responded by scoring 33 points in the second quarter to get within 49-48 at the break.
New York started the fourth quarter on a 15-2 run, including 10 straight points, to extend its lead to 80-68. Stewart and Ionescu each scored six points in the frame.
In Connecticut, DeWanna Bonner had 20 points and eight rebounds, Brionna Jones added 15 points and Connecticut beat winless Washington to become the seventh team in WNBA history to start a season with nine straight wins.
All of the previous six teams to begin 9-0 reached the WNBA finals.
Connecticut (9-0) hosts New York on Saturday, looking to become the fourth team to start 10-0. The Minnesota Lynx hold the WNBA record with 13 straight wins to begin the 2016 season.
Washington (0-9) set a franchise record with nine consecutive losses to start a season. The Mystics return home to play Chicago on Thursday.
Tyasha Harris added 14 points and Alyssa Thomas had seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Connecticut. Bonner reached 20 points for the fifth time this season.
Meanwhile, Ezi Magbegor scored 13 of her 21 points in the first quarter, Skylar Diggins-Smith added 17 points and Seattle won their fifth straight game with a victory over Phoenix.
On the day Seattle (6-3) announced a contract extension for Magbegor that will keep her with the team through the 2025 season, the forward from Australia sparked the Storm to a fast start. The 13 points in the first quarter were the most Magbegor has scored in any quarter of her career, as she hit her first six shots before a miss.
Jewell Loyd finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Seattle led by as many as 21 in the first half on its way to the easy victory.
