The New York Liberty defeated the Seattle Storm 84-76 on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
Breanna Stewart led the Liberty with 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five blocks on 5-for-11 shooting. Stewart also went 13-for-14 from the free-throw line. Leonie Fiebich finished with 21 points and five rebounds on 6-for-10 shooting, including 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
Kennedy Burke contributed 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting off the bench. Natasha Cloud added 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists on 4-for-6 shooting (2-for-4 on 3-pointers).
Nneka Ogwumike led the Storm with 20 points and nine rebounds on 8-for-15 shooting. Skylar Diggins finished with 14 points, seven assists and three steals. Erica Wheeler added 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting (2-for-5 on 3-pointers) off the bench, while Brittney Sykes scored 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting.
The Storm could've clinched a playoff berth with a win on Friday. With the loss, they dropped to the eighth and final playoff spot with a 22-21 record. They are half-a-game behind the seventh-place Indiana Fever (22-20) and are up two games over the ninth-place LA Sparks (19-22).
On the other hand, the Liberty (25-17) snapped a two-game losing skid. They strengthened their hold of the No. 5 spot, as they now have a 1.5-game lead over the sixth-place Golden State Valkyries (23-18).
Friday's game was the third and final meeting between New York and Seattle this season. The Storm won 89-79 on June 22 and 79-70 on July 6.
New York Liberty vs. Seattle Storm player stats and box score
Seattle Storm player stats and box score
New York Liberty player stats and box score
New York Liberty vs. Seattle Storm game summary
The New York Liberty had a 22-16 lead over the Seattle Storm at the end of the opening quarter. Leonie Fiebich scored 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range for New York.
Seattle outscored New York 31-17 in the second quarter to take an eight-point lead (47-39) into the halftime break. Nneka Ogwumike led the Storm with 10 points and seven rebounds on 4-for-6 shooting. Skylar Diggins and Erica Wheeler added nine points apiece.
Fiebich led the Liberty in the first half with 16 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the 3-point line. Breanna Stewart added eight points, while Emma Meesseman had seven points off the bench.
New York outscored Seattle 20-13 in the third period. After three quarters, the Storm led 60-59.
The Liberty opened the final period on a 13-4 run to take a 72-64 lead midway through the fourth. Seattle answered with an 8-2 run to trim New York's lead to two (74-72). Down the stretch, Stewart's made free throws gave the Liberty a six-point lead (80-74) with 46.8 seconds remaining. New York held on for the win.
Both teams will return to action on Tuesday. New York will host the Washington Mystics, while Seattle will battle the Golden State Valkyries for its final game of the season.