Liberty avoid late collapse to defeat Mercury, end West Coast trip on high note

PHOENIX — That was close. Too close. But the Liberty ultimately ended their three-game West Coast swing on a high note Saturday, beating the Mercury 94-92. The Liberty almost blew it. They squandered an early 11-point lead and found themselves down 10 in the second half. The Liberty led by eight with 1:10 left in the fourth quarter. Then, they started to unravel. The Mercury made four free throws across back-to-back possessions. Sabrina Ionescu reacts during the Liberty’s Aug. 1 win over the Mercury. NBAE via Getty Images Then, a bad Sabrina Ionescu turnover led to a wide-open DeWanna Bonner 3. Just like that, the Liberty’s lead was only two points with 24 seconds left. New York didn’t lose its composure and ultimately survived to improve to 17-13 on the season. After Thursday’s loss in La