Liberty seals top overall seed, drops Mystics under playoff line

New York wins must-win game to clinch first WNBA regular season title since 2015

Sabrina Ionescu leads Liberty with 21 points as she closes in on triple-double

Following a dominant first half, the New York Liberty (22-12) clinched the WNBA's top overall seed and the Commissioner's Cup title on Tuesday night, rallying past the Washington Mystics (21-13) 81-70 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Natasha Howard and Betnijah Laney both scored 15 points for the Liberty, while Han Xu contributed 11 points and seven rebounds. New York closed out the game on a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Elena Delle Donne led the Mystics with 18 points and nine rebounds, but the loss dropped Washington below the playoff line and into the WNBA Play-In Tournament. Myisha Hines-Allen added 15 points and Ariel Atkins scored 14 for the Mystics. The Liberty started the game on a 10-0 run and never looked back, leading by as many as 21 points in the first half. New York shot 50% from the field in the first half and held the Mystics to just 33% shooting. The Mystics cut the deficit to 10 points in the third quarter, but the Liberty responded with a 7-0 run to push their lead back to 17. Washington never got closer than 10 points in the fourth quarter. The Liberty's win gives them the No. 1 seed in the WNBA Playoffs and a double-bye to the semifinals. New York will also host the Commissioner's Cup Championship Game on Aug. 26. The Mystics, meanwhile, will have to win at least one game in the Play-In Tournament to reach the playoffs. Washington will face the No. 7 seed Dallas Wings in the first round of the tournament on Aug. 17.