New York Liberty scrape by Washington Mystics, 90-79

Down the stretch of the New York Liberty’s tight Wednesday night win over the Phoenix Mercury, Kayla Thornton was inserted into the game, playing with four starters in place of Courtney Vandersloot. And while Vandersloot ultimately re-entered the game, even coming up with a huge crunch-time steal, it was Sabrina Ionescu who made that previous lineup possible.

She assumed the entirety of New York’s ball-handling duties with Sloot on the bench, allowing Sandy Brondello to play a longer, more physical lineup.

“Sabrina, she can do it all, a great shooter and nearly had ten assists, she had nine assists here, and that’s what she brings,” said Brondello. “She made some really big plays for us, and…