Liberty surge past the Tempo as Jonquel Jones powers New York’s third straight win

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonquel Jones had 22 points and 17 rebounds to help the New York Liberty beat the Toronto Tempo 97-82 on Wednesday night.

Breanna Stewart added 19 points, including 17 in the second half, for the Liberty (6-4), who have won three straight games. New York was still missing guard Sabrina Ionescu, who is sidelined with a back issue. Coach Chris DeMarco said at morning shootaround that his All-Star guard was getting better. She's only played in one game this season.

The game marked the return of former Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, who led the franchise to its first WNBA championship in 2024. The Liberty let her go after last season. The franchise's winningest coach received a warm ovation from the crowd when she was introduced before the game.

She's now in charge of the expansion Tempo and has guided them to a strong start. The loss dropped the Tempo (5-5) to .500 and ended a two-game winning streak.

New York trailed 22-17 early in the second quarter before going on a 15-2 run capped by two 3-pointers by Satou Sabally. The first came in transition over her sister Nyara, who was taken by the Tempo from the Liberty in the expansion draft this offseason.

The Liberty led 40-34 at the half as Jones finished the opening 20 minutes with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

They put the game away in the third quarter as Stewart scored nine points after only having two in the first half. New York extended its lead to 70-58 and never looked back.

Toronto had a scary moment with 1:33 left in the game. Rookie Kiki Rice had her shot blocked and her left leg bent backwards as she was landing. The No. 6 pick in the draft was down for a little bit before getting up and hopping back to the locker room.

Brondello said after the game she had no update on Rice's condition, hoping that the young guard would be OK.

“She’s a tough kid, but, yeah, it’s unfortunate,” Brondello said.

Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes each scored 17 points to lead the Tempo.

Tempo: host Chicago Sky on Sunday.

Liberty: host Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Saturday night.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

New York Liberty forward Satou Sabally (0) shoots over Toronto Tempo forward Nyara Sabally during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Toronto Tempo guard Brittney Sykes (20) shoots the ball during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich (13) gestures during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Toronto Tempo, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Toronto Tempo guard Julie Allemand (22) collides with New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones during the second half of a WNBA basketball game, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) goes up for a shot against Toronto Tempo guard Brittney Sykes (20) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court has denied a prosecutor’s appeal of an order that the state’s fake elector case against President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others over the 2020 presidential election be sent back to a grand jury.

The decision released Thursday marks another setback for Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes as she struggles to push the sprawling case through the courts. Mayes’ office said it will again present the case in its entirety to a grand jury rather than end the prosecution. Her office declined to comment further on the court's decision.

The ruling came after similar cases in Michigan and Georgia were dismissed by the courts and a special prosecutor dropped a federal case in late 2024 that charged Trump with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. Cases related to the fake elector scheme remain in Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin.

A lower-court judge in Phoenix concluded in May that the case’s first grand jury hadn’t been shown the text of the Electoral Count Act, a 19th century law that governs the certification of presidential contests and was invoked by those charged in defending themselves.

Defense lawyers argued the law allowed for multiple slates of electors to be submitted to Congress in case the results were disputed, though it was amended in 2022 to specify that a state could put forward only one slate of electors and that it was the governor who would sign off. Mark L. Williams, an attorney representing Giuliani, applauded the court’s decision and questioned whether Mayes’ office will carry through on its promise to bring the case back to the grand jury. “In my mind, the whole thing is meritless," Williams said. "Mr. Giuliani has done nothing wrong.” There has been no movement in the Arizona case at the trial court level since mid-May 2025.

Former President Joe Biden won Arizona in 2020 by 10,457 votes.

The state attorney general has faced steep challenges in making her case.

It was filed nearly three and a half years after the 2020 election and levels complicated conspiracy charges against 18 defendants. A dozen dismissal requests filed by defense attorneys have slowed down the case’s pace.

The first judge on the case recused himself in late 2024 after an email surfaced in which he told fellow judges to speak out against attacks on Kamala Harris’ campaign for the presidency. The next judge ordered the case to be sent back to a grand jury.

Of the 18 Arizona defendants, two were former Trump aides, five were lawyers working for Trump and 11 were Republicans who submitted a document falsely claiming Trump won Arizona.

Three defendants have resolved their cases, including one who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.

The rest have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, fraud and forgery charges. Some said they signed the certificate in case Trump won court challenges and a new slate of electors was needed urgently before Congress’ Jan. 6 deadline to tally votes.

FILE - Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes speaks at the Arizona State Prison, March 19, 2025, in Florence, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb, File)