In the Liberty's big-time win against the Aces, she put up a 31 point triple-double. There is a time and a place for it.
The Liberty set a franchise record for points with a 116-107 victory over the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday.
Ionescu's triple-double was the third of her career, tying her for the most in a career in the league.
The previous record for points in a triple-double game was 29 points set by Los Angeles Sparks center LisaLeslie.
The combined point total of 222 is a record for a regulation game.
The teams set a league mark for combined 3-pointers in a game, while New York tied a league record with 18 treys. It was the most points surrendered in a loss in the history of the team, dating back to when the team started in Utah.
The Liberty have been in New York ever since they were founded in 1997. After setting an NCAA record with 26 triple-doubles at Oregon, they drafted her No. 1 in 2020.
Ionescu was the first player in the league to register a triple-double without a turnover. The five triple-doubles so far this season are the most in a single season in the history of the league.
The line of scoring at least 30 points in a triple-double with no turnovers while shooting at least 75% from the field has been matched by only one NBA player in the last 40 years.
Ionescu, who was 10-of-13 from the field, including 7-of-8 from behind the 3-point line, said he was trying to take care of the ball. As a point guard and primary ball handler, I want to keep working on that part of the game.
I'm just trying to be the best that I can be. I'm against me. I'm trying to get better and keep learning.
The Liberty took advantage of Las Vegas' fast-paced offensive style to have their own game.
We knew we could put points on the board. It was more about stopping them and slowing them down.
This was a game about New York's offense, which hadn't broken 100 points before, and the Liberty did that better in the second half. Ionescu will head to Chicago to play in the All-Star game after the New York game.
She works so hard that she's happy for her. One of the toughest players I know is her. She's ready to take that over, even though we put a lot on her shoulders.
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