Mystics vs. Liberty final score: Sykes’ 29 point night not enough in 87-96 loss

The Washington Mystics lost to the New York Liberty, 96-87 on Friday night at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Congress Heights.

The Mystics were able to take an early lead in this game, but it was essentially all Liberty from that point on. The Liberty led by as many as 17 points at one point in the third quarter and were leading by double digits for most of the game.

Since Washington came into this game without Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin and Ariel Atkins starting while New York had their superstar-laden lineup with Breanna Stewart (24 points, 10 rebounds), Jonquel Jones (27 points, 11 rebounds) and Sabrina Ionescu (16 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists), it should be no surprise that these three dominated at different points in the game. In fact, with Stewart, Jones and Ionescu each grabbing double-digit rebounds tonight, that was enough to outrebound the Mystics as a team (28 total rebounds).

And while the Mystics were outmatched in this game, four of their starters scored in double digits. Brittney Sykes had the best night out of Washington’s starters, where she scored 29 points on 9-of-22 shooting (4-of-6 from the three point line) and grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Mystics will be back in action on Sunday when they host the Phoenix Mercury. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. ET. See you then.