NEW YORK (AP) — Leonie Fiebich hit four 3-pointers and scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting, Breanna Stewart added 20 points and 11 rebounds and the New York Liberty never trailed Sunday in their 83-69 victory over the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.
New York can sweep the best-of-three series with a win Tuesday in New York. Game 3, if necessary, is Thursday in Atlanta.
The Liberty — who made each of their first six field-goal attempts, including four 3-pointers — jumped to a 13-4 lead. Allisha Gray was fouled on a jumper and hit the and-1 free throw to cut Atlanta’s deficit to four with 5:33 left in the first quarter, but the Liberty scored the next 14 points — the final seven by Sabrina Ionescu — to take an 18-point lead. The Dream went scoreless for more than four minutes before Tina Charles hit a fade-away jumper to spark a 7-2 spurt that trimmed their deficit to 29-16 going into the second quarter.
New York made 8 of 11 from the field, 5 of 6 from the 3-point range and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line while outrebounding the Dream 11-3 in the first period. Atlanta, which shot 35.3% (6 of 17) and went 0 for 6 from behind the arc, trailed by double figures for the final 33-plus minutes.
Rhyne Howard scored 14 points and Charles added 12 for Atlanta.
The Dream beat New York 78-67 on Thursday in the regular-season finale to clinch the eighth and final playoff spot — and a date with the top-seeded Liberty in the first round. Atlanta shot 50% (31 of 62) from the field.
Fiebich scored 15 points — one shy of the rookie’s season high — on perfect shooting in the first half, making 5 of 5 from the field, 2 of 2 from behind the arc and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line. Ionescu added 14 points and New York took a 48-30 lead into halftime.
The Liberty, who seek their first WNBA championship, made their fifth WNBA Finals appearance last season but lost 3-1 to the Las Vegas Aces.
New York’s Courtney Vandersloot had four points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Ionescu finished with 17 points and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored 10 for the Liberty.
