When you score more than half your team’s points, you’ve owned the game.
Dallas Wings’ center Liz Cambage scored a WNBA single-game record 53 points — on just 22 shots — in the Wings’ 104-87 win over the Liberty Tuesday. The previous record had been Riquna Williams with 51 points in 2013. Cambage hit 17–of–22 from the field including 4–of–5 from three (she was 5-of-23 from three in her NBA career before today), and knocked down 15-of-16 from the free throw line. She also had 10 rebounds and blocked five shots.
It was a monster performance. How big:
Liz Cambage just scored 53 points to break the WNBA single-game record.
— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) July 17, 2018
2018: Liz Cambage, 53
2013: Riquna Williams, 51
2014: Maya Moore, 48
The last NBA player with 50 pts, 10 rbs and 75 percent shooting in a game? Michael Jordan (March 1996, vs Pistons). (Via @ESPNStatsInfo) pic.twitter.com/tjikyg66cC
Cambage, an Australian native, had two interesting seasons with Tulsa in the WNBA back in 2011 and 2013 — she was an All-Star in 2011 but did not return to the NBA after the 2012 Olympics. She had a strong 2013 season, but then walked away from the WNBA (she had said when drafted she didn’t want to be in Tulsa).
She sat out of the WNBA for five years, until returning this season and is putting up big numbers in Dallas — 19.9 points per game on 57 percent shooting plus pulling down 9.1 rebounds per game. She’s a 6'8" physical force in the league that few if any teams have an answer for.
But nobody saw this huge breakout game coming.
What a great showcase for the WNBA, especially leading up to the league’s All-Star Game July 28.
