NEW YORK, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The New York Liberty ended its longest 17-game losing streak here on Sunday, beating the Las Vegas Aces 88-78 in its fifth match of the new WNBA season.
The Liberty, which last won on July 15, 2018 when they crushed the Chicago Sky, had lost the final 13 games of the 2018 regular season and the first four in the 2019 season before today's win.
The 17-game skid was the longest in the team's history, tying for the third-longest in WNBA history. The Liberty finished 11th in 2018 with a 7-27 record, failing to enter the playoffs. The Aces finished 9th in 2018, also missing out on a playoff berth.
Sunday's result improves the Liberty's record to 1-4, while the Aces drop to 2-3.
During the game, the Liberty only trailed the Aces in the first quarter 22-19. From the second quarter onwards, New York never surrendered the lead.
Veteran power forward Tina Charles recorded her fourth consecutive 20-plus performance, scoring a team-high 21 points and adding eight rebounds and four assists.
Bria Hartley made her debut in the Liberty starters, collecting 17 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Four players, including Asia Durr and Chinese national team center Han Xu, who were both selected by the Liberty in the WNBA Draft 2019, did not play.
Han Xu told Xinhua after the game, "It was the collective power that played a key role in today's win, especially in the third quarter when the opponents were trying to catch up."
Liberty coach Katie Smith urged all the players to maintain the momentum in future games.
The Liberty face the Minnesota Lynx next on Wednesday.
