1 year ago
24
Associated Press
Jul 18, 2025, 09:31 PM ET
INDIANAPOLIS -- Sabrina Ionescu won the 3-point contention and her New York Liberty teammate Natasha Cloud was the skills champion Friday nighttime arsenic portion of the WNBA's All-Star weekend.
Ionescu, who won the rubric successful 2023 with a grounds performance, had a beardown last round, scoring 30 points. It was little than her record-breaking effort of 37 2 years agone erstwhile she made 25 of 27 shots, the astir ever successful either the WNBA oregon NBA. The full of 30 ranks matched the second-highest successful the event.
Atlanta's Allisha Gray, who made her ain past past twelvemonth by winning the 3-point shootout and skills competition, fell abbreviated successful some this time. She had 22 points successful the 3-point contest.
Ionescu's 30 points was the second-highest successful a WNBA 3-point contest.
Gray went past successful the opening circular and needed to bushed Kelsey Plum's 22 points to scope the last round. Gray deed her last 4 shots, including the wealth shot to necktie Ionescu and advance.
Plum, from the Los Angeles Sparks, was looking to go the archetypal subordinate successful WNBA past to triumph an All-Star MVP (2022), skills situation (2023) and 3-point contest.
Lexie Hull, who was a fill-in for Indiana teammate Caitlin Clark, who injured her close groin connected Tuesday night, scored 20 points to decorativeness fourth. Clark hyped up the assemblage from the sideline earlier Hull's turn.
Washington rookie Sonia Citron scored 19 points successful the opening round.
Cloud had the fastest clip successful the archetypal circular of the obstacle people that combines passing, dribbling and shooting. She needed to bushed Seattle's Erica Wheeler's people of 37.5 seconds successful the finals. Cloud won contempt missing each 3 of her shots from the country implicit the windmill defender. She was capable to get done the obstacle people successful 36.4 seconds, 1.1 faster than Wheeler.
After beating Wheeler, Cloud hugged Ionescu. She past picked up her woman and Liberty teammate Isabelle Harrison and gave her a hug and kiss. Harrison had told Cloud that she needed to triumph truthful they could enactment a down outgo connected a house.
"You're gonna get that house," Cloud said aft winning.
Cloud received $55,000 from Aflac arsenic portion of a concern with the WNBAPA. She besides receives $2,575 from the league for the victory, which was portion of the corporate bargaining agreement.
Wheeler competed a twelvemonth aft missing the contention successful Phoenix due to the fact that of formation issues owed to a faulty bundle update that caused technological havoc worldwide. Wheeler spent a fewer years successful Indiana and received a large ovation from the fans erstwhile she was introduced.
Defending champion Gray, who was wearing customized A'ja Wilson shoes with "money sign" connected them, was successful occupation aft missing each 3 of the thorax passes, which slowed her clip and spoiled her bid for a repeat.
She finished the people successful 39.4 seconds, which was down Cloud and Wheeler's opening-round times. Courtney Williams (42.0) and Skylar Diggins (44.3) besides didn't marque the last round.
