The Guru’s WNBA and UPSHOT Reports: New York Rallies to Top Dallas in OT; Washington Stops Golden State Streak;’ Minnesota and ‘Las Vegas Win; Jacksonville Still Ruling UPSHOT

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

The ongoing sellout home streak of 18,064 in the Chase Center in San Francisco ever since Golden State (19-8) made its debut last season continued Monday night but not the franchise-record win streak of nine games, which was stopped by a 90-82 loss to Washington (13-12) that let its first game of two against the Valkyries get away down the stretch Saturday night in one of four games on the WNBA card.

Streaks were swapped at short-handed Dallas (17-9) before a crowd of 6,251 at the College Park Center in suburban Arlington that saw the Wings’ end their franchise-matching six-game run stopped in a 99-98 overtime loss to New York (14-12), the first loss to the Liberty in three meetings as the opposition ended their own four-game losing streak, part of what had been a 2-8 run that began last month.

Monday’s game in Texas was a makeup from Thursday night in which New York, which started Wednesday, ran into mechanical problems with their charter in the airport.

The Liberty continued on to Indiana, losing Friday, and then went on to Dallas, that was playing a back-to-back after winning 90-82 over visiting Los Angeles (10-15) Sunday but having reigning rookie of the year Paige Bueckers get hurt in the closing minutes and sitting out against New York.

First-place Minnesota (21-6) in the first of two games over three days at last place Seattle won Monday 105-102 before a crowd of 12,500 at the Climate Pledge Arena in Washington for a sixth straight victories, enabling the Linx to the moving the needle slightly by two games over defending champion Las Vegas (18-7), which won 109-83 on the road in Monday’s other game at expansion Toronto (10-16) before 8,210 at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Canada.

Golden State is also two games back with the loss but placed third due to a percentage point won loss record lower than the Aces.

In two other Sunday games to catch up, Atlanta (16-10) lost Angel Reese to a knee injury and blew a 22-point lead to visiting Chicago (9-17) but rallied to win 93-91 before 3,575 at Gateway Center in suburban College Park while Phoenix (9-18) before a home crowd of 13,481 at the Mortgage Matchup Center snapped a five-game losing streak gaining a split over three days winning 72-63 over Connecticut (7-19).

The result of all those games behind the top three already mentioned, Dallas is fourth, a half-game behind second and a game in front of Atlanta and Indiana, which are tied for fifth.

New York’s win got seventh at two games behind Atlanta and Indiana and a half-game behind Washington, which is in the last playoff spot, 2.5 in front of expansion Portland and three in front of 10th place Los Angeles.

The Sparks are a half-game ahead of Toronto in the 15-team league, 1.5 over Chicago, and two in front of Phoenix.

Connecticut, which had been in last place for most of the season before recently moving out over Seattle, is 1.5 behind Phoenix and 6.5 behind the playoff fence while ahead of the Storm ny two games.

The League is idle Tuesday and on Wednesday before taking the All-Star break until next Tuesday, a busy six-game card shows Connecticut is at Indiana at 8 p.m. on USA; Phoenix is at Los Angeles at 3 p.m. on League Pass while at the same time Minnesota plays its second game in Seattle this week on League Pass; Chicago on League Pass at 7 p.m. is at New York; Las Vegas is at Washington at 7:30 p.m. on League Pass, while Connecticut at 8 p.m. is at Indiana on USA;  and Dallas is at Portland at 10 p.m. on CNBC and USA.

The All-Star game is Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on ABC at the United Center, home of the NBA Bulls, in Chicago while the three-point contest and skills competition is Friday night at Wintrust Arena, home of the WNBA Sky and collegiate DePaul, time and platform will be posted here later in the week.

Stewie and Ionescu Carry Liberty Over the Wings

With 4:21 left in regulation in appeared Dallas would survive the absence of Beckers and New York doomed to another setback, trailing 77-66.

But then the Liberty went to work and the drama was on; the game tied at 78 with 2:24 left.

Arike Ogunbowale then got the Wings up with a three-pointer at the two-minute mark.

Jonquel Jones for New York scored to pull New York within a point with 29 seconds left in regulation.

Then disaster began to strike for the Wings, Jessica Shepard committing an offensive foul with 17.9 left.

Stewart was fouled and the Liberty went up a point on two makes with 12.9 left and then with 6.9 left blocked Ogunbowale’s driving layup and five seconds later Rebecca Allen went 1-for-2 at the line for the visitors, and it was 83-81.

But with 3.5 left, Marine Fauthoux fouled Ogunbowale, who made both shots to knot the score and send things in overtime after the Liberty’s Allen missed a long attempted three at the buzzer.

Rookie Azzie Fuzz, the number one overall draft pick in April out of UConn, got Dallas on the board first on a layup in the extra period and then the leads kept exchanging with Ogunbowale connecting from deep for a 93-90 Dallas lead with 2:39 left in the extra period.

Ionescu, however, got hot in the overtime and kept New York alive, making a 3-pointer and a driving layup assisted by Stewart to put the Liberty ahead 97-93 with 1:20 left.

Li Yueru, assisted by Sug Sutton, cut it to a basket, 97-95 with just over a minute left.

A Fudd foul send Stewart to the line connecting on two for a four-point lead with 46.5 left.

Ogunbowale cut it to a point 99-98 with a make from deep with 27.5 left but Dallas was unable to score anymore, sending New York to victory lane.

Stewart finished with 33 points, 13 boards and eight assists, while Ionescu, who scored 12 in the overtime, finished with 21 points. Jones added 14 points with 10 points while Fauthoux had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

It was another game in which Rutgers grad and Philadelphia native Betnijah Laney-Hamilton did not get into the game.

Ogunbowale scored 29 for Dallas, while Shepard had her 17th double-double this season with 13 points and 16 rebounds, to match Atlanta’s Angel Reese.

All-time Villanova scorer Maddy Siegrist, the third overall pick by the Wings in the 2023 draft, had 13 points, shooting 5-for-7 and making all three 3-point attempts.

In Sunday’s win Bueckers, who had 25 points, hit her head on the floor late in the game, but while she was not in the concussion protocol Monday night, she was feeling too sore to play.

Ionescu tied a WNBA record for most points in an overtime period.

“My shot felt good, the basketball gods were just not in my favor, rolling in and out,” she said of her play earlier in the game. “So, I just continued to stick with it. (First year coach) Chris (DeMarco) continued to put me in good spots.

“In overtime, it was a new fight, time to reset, continued to go because he believed a shooter’s mentality you have to have.”

Add Stewart of the game, “In the third, when we got down, we were just missing shots. It wasn’t a bunch of fouls, or turnovers. Things that had gotten us in the past. And I feel everybody was intentional in the huddle.

“‘We’re good. The ball’s gonna come back and swing in our favor. Just staying with it and focus on defense.”

“I couldn’t be prouder of our team, from whoever was in it, from our bench, the confidence we had tonight, ‘Hey, we’re down. We’re going to get back in this game.’”

Of Fauthoux’s performance, especially in the overtime, DeMarco said, “She’s a competitor. She’s played at very high levels. A winner.”

“I don’t want to say, ‘relief,’” Stewart said on getting a win. “The hardships and struggles we’ll go through a season (aren’t) over. But I would obviously say this is a success because the way we kept staying at it.

“Obviously, this has to be a season low in turnovers. But we were really conscious of what we were trying to do offensively and defensively.”

On the other side, Dallas first-year coach Jose Fernandez said of the roster situation, “The biggest thing we talked about is how every possession matters. And you’re down three at the half, they were 7-for-7 at the free throw line and we were 3-for-6. They got 16-2 on second chance points at halftime.

“Paige cares about team success. Paige cares about winning,” he said of Bueckers’ demeanor on the bench during the game supporting her teammates.

“We got the shots. A couple times we missed key post ups. They got out of it in that fourth quarter. But we knew they were going to go to it a lot. We’re go to look at why did they do such a great job on the boards. They put the ball in Stew’s and Sabrina’s hands down the stretch. Two really good players. Our defensive coverage just got messed up there a little bit.”

Iriafen Carries Mystics Over Valkyries

All-Star and second-year pro Kiki Iriafen scored 23 for Washington with 12 boards while Shakira Austin had 15 points and 15 rebounds to get the visitors back on the winning side while stopping Golden State’s team record win streak.

 In a reverse on how things have gone recently for the Mystics, trailing 80-73 with 3:32 left in regulation, the Mystics surged to a 17-2 finish with Iriafen scoring with 1:41 left in regulation to put the visitors in front 82-80.

Former Princeton and UConn star Kaitlyn Chen scored 20 with six assists for Golden State, which missed chances down the stretch to close out another win.

Veronica Burton scored 12 with seven assists, while Kayla Thornton score 15 as the Valkyries lost for just the third time in their last 16 games.

A year ago, Golden State’s Natalie Nakase earned league coach of the year with the team setting expansion records for wins and earning a playoff bid in their initial season.

Year two to date has seen them powerfully better and getting a rest since Golden State’s next game is a week from Wednesday after the break and the stretch drive for the playoffs gets under way.

Washington’s second-year pro and All-Star Sonia Citron added 15 points with six assists.

The Mystics had a one-point lead at the half with Iriafen, who was 8-for-12, making 6-for-7 getting 13 of her points.

“Usually, we’ve been good in those situations,” Nakase said about the Valkyries’ fading down the stretch. “Not falling, our giving up threes, and maintaining the lead. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that.

“I can’t allow people to not execute coming out of timeouts. I have to be better. (Chen) was fearless tonight. I think I saw a step where she was attacking the rim. She was making good rim reads, because obviously, they were trying to double her.”

McBride and Miles Keep Lynx Streaking

Before this two-game strip to Seattle, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve, the South Jersey native who starred at La Salle and will add another All-Star coaching assignment this weekend, bemoaned the team’s defense, saying outscoring others was the one thing getting wins.

It went that way again Monday night, Kayla McBride making six from deep and scoring 33 points while rookie standout Olivia Miles, second overall in the draft out of central New Jersey, Notre Dame and TCU, had 32 points, one less than her season best, with eight boards.

The two with Courtney Williams had 30 of the Lynx’s 37 field goals and also shot a perfect 18-for-18 from the line.

Williams added 21 points and Natasha Howard had 12 boards and three steals.

Seattle rookie Flau’jae Johnson out of LSU had 26 points, including five makes from distance, while former South Carolina star Zia Cooke off the bench had 18 points and Natisha Hiedeman had 12 with 10 assists.

In the closing seconds, Howard swiped a Storm inbound pass and McBride scored two from the line for a 103-100 advantage.

Williams completed Minnesota scoring with two from the line with four seconds left and Johnson got her hands on a wide open three opportunity to tie but the shot went off the rim as time expired.

“It’s terrific on the offensive end,” Reeve said of the way McBride and Miles with Williams added in have been performing, especially with perennial MVP Napheesa Collier still not back from offseason surgery on both ankles.

She had returned to practice.

“Our three perimeter players have been special all season and right now we’re needing them to have these prolific efforts in order for us to win a game because our defense is nowhere to be found,” Reeve said.

“And so happy that they were able to hang in there. That last possession could have cost us dearly and we’ll try again Wednesday to see if we can be a little bit better.”

Wilson and Young Lead Aces Over Tempo

Being able to get a game come around to stay in the mix at the top with Minnesota and Golden State, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young combined for 50 points for Las Vegas in the win at Toronto.

Wilson had 26 points while Young had a season-best 24 for the Aces with Wilson shooting 11 of 14 from the field, and Young nailing for 3-pointers to put Las Vegas in comfortable position in the closing minutes.

First-year coach Sandy Brondello on Toronto was serving a one-game suspension from the league for an “inappropriate” comment she made about Atlanta’s Reese Friday in a home game against the Dream, using an Australian lingo, expressing frustrations with officials and referring to Reese as a “protected species” that has far different meanings in the United States.

Brondello apologized to Reese on social media and Reese accepted and also thanked the league for its action.

Associate head coach Olaf Lange handled the team.

NaLyssa Smith added 18 points for the Aces, and coach Becky Hammon, who will handle one of the All-Star groups, Reeve the other, passed the late Richie Adubato and Pokey Chatman at 134 for 13th in the WNBA with career wins.

Minnesota’s Reeve recently began the all-time regular season leader adding to the already held playoff and combo total.

Toronto’s Isabelle Harrison set a career mark with 26 points and grabbed 11 boards, as the Tempo lost their third straight and seven of eight. Marina Mabrey had 14 points.

The Canadians have been missing high-scoring Brittney Sykes, out with a foot injury, rookie Kiki Rice, one of the record six draftees from NCAA champion UCLA, sidelined with an ankle injury, and Nyara Sabally with an injured rib cage.

Hammon spoke up Monday in support of Brandello, whom she was on opposite sides in several playoff series when the latter was with New York, losing to the Aces in one finals series and winning a semifinals series in 204 on the way to the Liberty’s first title in their league-matching 28 seasons dating to 1997.

“I just gave her a big hug when I saw her,” Hammon said after Monday’s game. “I know that’s not where her heart is. I know her as a very, very high-quality person. Someone who’s filled with a lot of love for everyone.

“She’ll bounce back. I know she’s resilient. It’s unfortunate, everything that’s going around the league. I’d like to get back to sports uniting people.

Atlanta Nips Sky

On Sunday, Reese was lost with a knee injury during the Dream’s 93-91 home win over Chicago when Jordin Canada made a layup at the buzzer, having blown a 22-point lead.

Allisha Gray made two from the line with 9.5 left for Atlanta and Chicago called time to advance the ball and then Sydney Taylor got the inbounds pass and hit a deep three to tie it with five seconds left.

Canada then got the ball from Brionna Jones on the right wing and dashed to the hoop scoring the go-ahead shot.

Earlier in the period, Reese’s knee gave way when she made a jump stop under the basket and she fell to the court missing the layup.

She got up quickly but then went down once more and went to the bench where the team ruled her out the rest of the game.

Gray had 29 points for Atlanta while Canada had 10 points, nine assists, and three steals. Madina Okot had 14 points with four boards while Jones had 10 boards in 15 minutes as a reserve.

Jones appeared for the first time this season in Friday’s game in Toronto after rehabbing from a knee injury.

After a recent five-game losing streak the Dream have won three straight and four of five games.

Chicago’s Azura Stevens had 20 points with nine boards, Taylor had 18 points and Kamilla Cordoso scored 15. Saint Joseph’s grad Natasha Cloud had seven points with four assists.

The Sky’s Skylar Diggins has missed six straight games with a knee injury while Atlanta’s Te-Hina Paopao has been out two straight with an injured leg.

Mercury Ends Slides

In Sunday’s other game, Phoenix outscored Connecticut in three of four quarters to get a split in the weekend series at home in Arizona with DeWanna Bonner getting a season-high 21 points and Rutgers grad Kahleah Copper, the native of North Philadelphia getting 12 of her 18 points in the second half.

Monique Akoa Makani hadf 11 points for the home team while Natasha Mack returned from eight-game absence due to a foot injury and had four points, five rebounds, a steal and a block in her 20 minutes off the bench.

The Sun had won two straight and were within a point after Charlisse Leger-Walker scored with 4:42 left in regulation before the Mercury answered with a 7-0 run to seal it.

Connecticut’s Brittney Griner scored 19 while Olivia Nelson-Adoda had 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Leila Lacan after scoring a personal best 26 points in Friday’s win was held to seven points and forced into a career-worst nine turnovers.

The Sun had a season-high 21 turnovers enabling Phoenix to score 22 points.

UPSHOT Report: Jacksonville and Charlotte Continue 1-2 Punch

With this week’s set of games wrapped up Sunday in the new four-team UPSHOT League the Jacksonville Waves (17-4) under Philly native Jess Bogia coaching continue to dominate the standings with the Charlotte Crown (12-10) 5.5 back and best of the rest over the Greensboro Groove (8-15) and Savannah Steel (7-15).

In Sunday’s games the top two kept winning, Jacksonville 81-75 at home over Savannah and Charlotte 91-79 at Greensboro.

In the Waves’ game, the home team team won the first three quarters by narrow margins but enough to withstand a 19-16 fourth quarter advantage from the Steel.

Jacksonville keeps showing balance in either moderate or high-scoring individuals from game-to-game.

On Sunday Lindsey Pulliam and Ariel Hearn each scored 18 points, Hearn with four steals, while Shyanne Sellers scored 17 points, and Rennia Davis with 11 points and nine boards.

Lasha Petree was 13-for-22 collecting 31 points for Savannah, while Alisia Jenkins had 16 points and six boards, and Olivia Cochran scored 14.

In the win by Charlotte on the road in North Carolina, highlighted by a 22-11 third qurter, Deja Kelly scored 17 points, Schaquilla Nunn scored 15, Reigan Richardson scored 13 points and Ugonne (Michelle) Oniyah collected 10.

Greensboro got a team-leading 19 points from Jessica Timmons while Sahara Jones scored 13, and Amiya Joyner had 11 points with eight boards.

This week, on Thursday Greensboro is at Jacksonville at noon and Charlotte is at Savannah at 7 p.m., all games free on UPSHOT’s YouTube channel.

Saturday will see Jacksonville reversing and going to Greensboro at 4 p.m., and also again the two meeting at 2 p.m. Sunday so based on tip times there is no conflict with any broadcasts of WNBA All-Star events.

Next season, Baltimore and Nashville join.

In the current stats update, the three scoring leaders are Charlotte’s Kelly (17.7), Jacksonville’s Hearn (16.3), and Greensboro’s Diamond Johnson (15.6), the Philly native who played at Rutgers. N.C. State and Norfolk State.

Schaquilla Nunn is the leading rebounder at 10.7, ahead of Rennia Davis (7.5).

The league is holding a zoom presser Wednesday.