Golden State Valkyries Defeat New York Liberty 79-60 to Complete Season Sweep

The Chicago Sky had already come painfully close to beating the New York Liberty twice this season. On Tuesday night, Natasha Cloud made sure the third meeting ended differently. Cloud erupted for a career-high 35 points , adding nine rebounds and six assists as the Sky defeated the New York Liberty 93-86 in Chicago. Kamilla Cardoso added 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Sky survived New York's fourth-quarter comeback and improved to 14-22 . Chicago had lost its first two meetings with New York this season by exactly one point each. This time, even after surrendering a 13-point advantage and briefly falling behind late, the Sky found an answer. Cloud provided it. Natasha Cloud Takes Over Against the Liberty Cloud delivered the best scoring performance of her career when Chicago needed it most. She finished 13-for-21 from the field , connected on four of eight three-point attempts and made five of six free throws. Her final line of 35 points, nine rebounds and six assists reflected much more than a hot shooting night. She was involved throughout Chicago's offense and ultimately became its closer. Cloud had already scored 16 points with four three-pointers in the first half , helping Chicago establish control before halftime. But her biggest baskets came after New York had erased that advantage. Chicago Builds a Double-Digit Halftime Lead The Sky began creating separation during the second quarter. Cloud knocked down a three-pointer, and Courtney Vandersloot followed with one from a similar area as Chicago put together a 9-0 run . By halftime, the Sky had established an 11-point advantage . Chicago's offense wasn't dependent solely on Cloud. Azura Stevens had already provided an early spark, scoring 10 points in the opening quarter , while the Sky found opportunities cutting toward the basket and from the perimeter. The lead eventually grew to 13 points during the third quarter. Against a Liberty team with enough offensive talent to erase deficits quickly, however, 13 was not enough to put the game away. Jonquel Jones Leaves With an Ankle Injury New York suffered an important setback early in the game. Jonquel Jones appeared to injure her left ankle with 3:30 remaining in the first quarter while battling for position inside. She did not return. The supplied sources do not provide a diagnosis or timetable for Jones, so the severity of the injury was not immediately established. Her absence left the Liberty without an important interior presence for most of the night. New York still managed to mount a major comeback. Rebecca Allen Sparks New York's Rally The Liberty began cutting into Chicago's lead during the third quarter. Rebecca Allen scored all 14 of her points after halftime , including three three-pointers during the third period. Her perimeter shooting helped reduce what had been a 13-point Chicago advantage to five. Sabrina Ionescu also began making an impact. Ionescu intercepted a pass and converted at the other end as New York continued building momentum. She eventually finished with 18 points and 12 assists , recording a double-double while helping organize the Liberty's comeback. Chicago still carried an eight-point advantage into the fourth. New York wasn't finished. Breanna Stewart Helps Bring the Liberty Back Breanna Stewart led New York with 22 points and played a major role in the fourth-quarter rally. As Chicago's advantage disappeared, Stewart connected from three-point range to bring the Liberty within one. New York then created another opportunity defensively. Stewart came up with a steal, and the possession eventually ended with Marine Johannes hitting a three-pointer with 2:09 remaining . For the first time since New York had led 24-23 , the Liberty were back in front. The score was 84-83 . After trailing by as many as 13, New York had completed the comeback. Now Chicago needed to respond. Natasha Cloud Answers Immediately Cloud did not allow New York's lead to last. With 1:17 remaining , she reached her preferred area around the free-throw line and connected on a jumper. The basket gave Chicago an 86-84 advantage and pushed Cloud beyond her previous career high of 31 points. It was exactly the type of possession Chicago had failed to consistently produce in its previous close losses to New York. The Sky needed a basket. Their leading scorer created one. New York then missed a three-pointer, giving Chicago an opportunity to extend the lead. Kamilla Cardoso Delivers the Dagger Cloud had already done the scoring damage herself. This time, she created for someone else. With less than a minute remaining, Cloud found Kamilla Cardoso inside. Cardoso converted in the lane with 39.9 seconds remaining , increasing Chicago's advantage and putting New York in a much more difficult position. Cardoso finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds , giving Chicago an important double-double alongside Cloud's career night. Her late basket was especially significant because the Liberty had spent most of the second half fighting their way back into the game. Once New York finally grabbed the lead, Chicago immediately took it away. Cardoso helped make sure the Liberty never reclaimed it. Cloud Closes the Game at the Free-Throw Line New York's comeback effectively ended at the foul line. Cloud went 4-for-4 on free throws during the final 20 seconds , preventing the Liberty from creating another realistic opportunity to take control. Stewart scored with 7.1 seconds remaining , but by then Chicago had already established the separation it needed. The Liberty had gone from taking an 84-83 lead with 2:09 remaining to being held without another point until the final seconds. Chicago had finally finished the job. A Different Ending for the Sky The context made the victory especially meaningful. Chicago had lost both previous meetings with New York this season by one point . Tuesday appeared capable of producing another painful finish. The Sky led by 13. The Liberty rallied. New York took the lead with slightly more than two minutes remaining. Instead of allowing another close game against the Liberty to slip away, Chicago executed. Cloud made the go-ahead jumper. Cardoso scored inside. Cloud converted the late free throws. This time, Chicago was the team making the decisive plays. Sabrina Ionescu's Double-Double Isn't Enough Ionescu's 18 points and 12 assists gave New York an important combination of scoring and playmaking. Together with Stewart's 22 points and Allen's second-half shooting, it gave the Liberty enough offense to erase the double-digit deficit. But New York could not finish the comeback. After Johannes' three-pointer created the 84-83 advantage, the Liberty failed to score on their next several possessions. Against a player having the type of night Cloud was having, those empty trips became decisive. Chicago Gets the Close Win It Had Been Missing The 93-86 victory was defined by Chicago's response after losing control of its lead. Cloud's 35 points will understandably receive most of the attention, but the closing sequence demonstrated why the performance mattered beyond the career-high number. She scored when New York had finally taken the lead. She found Cardoso for another critical basket. Then she made four consecutive free throws to close the game. Chicago didn't simply beat New York because Cloud scored 35. The Sky won because their best player delivered at the exact moment the game threatened to become another narrow loss to the Liberty. New York fell to 22-15 , while Chicago improved to 14-22 . The Liberty next host Indiana on Saturday, and the Sky remain home to face Golden State on Friday. For Chicago, Tuesday's result provided a satisfying reversal. Two one-point losses had defined the season series. In the third meeting, Cloud made sure the Sky finally got their win.