Stars duo’s double-doubles finally give Liberty win over rival Lynx

They got one.

Facing the prospect of finishing the regular season without a win over their main antagonist and chief threat to their bid for back-to-back WNBA titles, the Liberty finally took down the first-place Lynx, 85-75, on Tuesday night at Barclays Center.

Jonquel Jones scored a game-high 22 points along with 10 rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu delivered 17 points — including a rainbow logo 3 that sealed the deal with 33 seconds left — and 11 assists, and Natasha Cloud and Leonie Fiebich added 10 points apiece. 

The Liberty (22-13) had lost three in a row to the Lynx over the past three weeks, a measure of payback for last year’s Finals, which the Liberty won in five brutally hard-fought games.

“We know all the plays they’re running, they know all the plays we’re running, so it’s who executes the scout the best. And they’ve done that better, you know?” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said before the game. “I think you see their confidence and chemistry that they have in those moments, a little bit better than what we’ve had.”

But the Liberty were the sharper team in Round 4. They shot 40.6 percent from 3-point range, notched 23 assists on 29 field goals and even won the rebounding battle, 37-33.

And the free-throw count, a point of contention Saturday when the Lynx garnered a massive 33-8 advantage, was 18-14 this time in favor of the Liberty.

Breanna Stewart, the Liberty’s past MVP winner, and Napheesa Collier, the Lynx’s future MVP winner, again were sidelined due to injuries.