Wings Finish Off Road Trip With Loss to Liberty

Wed, May 30, 2018, 1:59 AM

WESTCHESTER, N.Y. The Wings fell to the New York Liberty, 94-89, in the finale of their three-game road trip despite Liz Cambage’s 28 points and 16 rebounds.

The Wings sped out of the gates to an 11-0 run behind two Skylar Diggins-Smith three-pointers. The Wings buried seven threes in the first quarter, including four from Diggins-Smith to take a 31-14 lead into the second quarter. The 17-point lead was their largest lead of the game, while the seven first quarter three-pointers were the second most in a single quarter all-time for the Wings.

The Liberty fought back to within six points in the second quarter, but Cambage dominated the last two minutes of the first half to give the Wings the lead heading into the locker room, 46-37. Diggins-Smith led the Wings in the first half, scoring 16 points on 5-for-8 from the field including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. Cambage added 12 points and eight rebounds in the opening half.

Cambage took over in the third quarter, scoring nine points to keep the Wings out in front, 68-59, heading into the final period. The Liberty battled back in the fourth quarter and took the lead with two minutes to play. The Wings tied the game at 86 with just under a minute left before the Liberty went on a 5-0 run and sealed the comeback victory, 94-89.

Cambage led the Wings, tying a career-high with 28 points, adding a season-high 16 boards and tying a career-high with four assists. Diggins-Smtih notched her third 20-point game of the season, scoring 20 points and adding seven assists. Her five three-pointers moved her into third place in Wings franchise history.

Kayla Thornton scored 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and a career-high four steals in her fourth consecutive start in Glory Johnson’s absence. She has scored in double digits in all four games as a starter. Karima Christmas-Kelly recorded 12 points on 3-for-5 from the field, including 3-for-4 from long range. The veteran added five rebounds and three assists.

The Liberty were led by five-time WNBA all-star and former WNBA MVP Tina Charles, who scored a game-high 34 points to go with 10 rebounds.

The Wings will head home to take on the Seattle Storm on June 2 at College Park Center. Tickets are available for purchase at dallaswings.com.