Turnovers sink Liberty as Dream grab 1-0 lead in WNBA semifinals

The Liberty dropped the opener of their WNBA semifinal series on Sunday, falling 92-82 to the Atlanta Dream. Atlanta now holds a 1-0 edge in the best-of-five matchup, and one quarter did most of the damage.

A 32-15 third quarter swung the opener to Atlanta

New York carried a three-point lead into halftime, but it didn’t last. The Dream opened the second half on a 13-3 run, went in front for good and won the period 32-15. Reese and Jordin Canada had three steals apiece in that quarter.

Giveaways hurt New York most. Atlanta forced 21 of them and scored 32 points off those mistakes. Half of those points, 16, came in the third quarter.

Canada finished with 25 points, 20 of them after the break, to go with five steals. DeWanna Bonner added 23 for Atlanta, which needed the extra scoring once Allisha Gray went out in the second quarter with a left hand injury.

New York’s comeback falls short before Game 2

The Liberty fell behind by 16 but cut the gap to five late in the game. Canada answered with a 3-pointer as the shot clock was about to run out, then scored on a fast-break layup after Atlanta got a stop at the other end.

Sabrina Ionescu led New York with 27 points. Breanna Stewart added 19.

Game 2 is Wednesday in Atlanta, and New York will need a win there to avoid falling behind 2-0 in the series. Tip-off times and TV options for the rest of the series are in the Liberty semifinal schedule.