NEW YORK — The Liberty trailed by two points with 12.6 seconds remaining in regulation of Game 2 of their first-round playoff matchup versus the Washington Mystics. Sabrina Ionescu went to the free throw line with a chance to tie the score, but missed her first attempt. A groan emanated from the Barclays Center crowd, but the Liberty remained confident. Jonquel Jones was on the floor.
Ionescu intentionally missed the second foul shot, putting into action a play the team had practiced all season: Jones, New York’s best offensive rebounder, darted across the paint to the right block to corral the ball after it bounced off the front of the rim. She went up for a putback and was fouled.
As she stepped to the line, Jones believed she had to make the free throws, especially after committing a costly turnover a few possessions before. Two-time MVP Breanna Stewart had no doubt Jones would sink them. “I knew we were going into overtime,” Stewart said, “and that was really it.”
Jones hit…
