Jonquel Jones scores 25 to help the Liberty open the season with an 85-80 victory over the Mystics

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jonquel Jones scored 25 points, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton added 20 and the New York Liberty opened the season with an 85-80 victory over the Washington Mystics. New York trailed 67-59 entering the fourth quarter before scoring 22 of the next 29 points, going ahead for good at 72-71 with 5:56 left on a basket by Laney-Hamilton. She also stole an inbounds pass and converted a layup to make it 79-74 with 3:30 remaining. Brittney Sykes scored eight straight points for Washington, including a layup on three straight possessions, to get within 81-80 with 2 minutes to go. But the Mystics would not score again, including a possession late that included two offensive rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu gave New York a three-point lead with 15.8 seconds left.