ARLINGTON, Texas _ On the same day the WNBA is set to announce its All-Stars, Liz Cambage made her case, setting a WNBA record with 53 points in a 104-87 win against the New York Liberty on Tuesday at College Park Center.
"I had a pretty emotional week last week," Cambage said. "I think I let it all out after the Seattle game and I just wanted to start a new day, a new game."
The record was previously held by former Tulsa Shock guard Riquna Williams, who scored 51 points in 2013 against the then San Antonio Stars.
Cambage got off to a hot start, scoring 28 of her points in the first half, setting a personal career-high for points in a half. She led the Wings to a 57-44 first-half lead.
New York denied Cambage from getting the ball more in the third quarter, holding her to three field-goal attempts and five points in the period.
The Liberty took control in the third quarter, scoring 29 points on 57 percent shooting. With a minute remaining in the period, they took their first lead of the game at 70-69.
Dallas struggled from the floor, scoring 17 points while shooting 31 percent and committing four turnovers in the third quarter.
As frustrations mounted, Wings coach Fred Williams racked up two technical fouls and was ejected from the game.
"I told our team out of halftime the first four minutes are important for us," Williams said. "New York jumped to it first and made some big plays and we didn't take care of the ball."
It all appeared to be falling apart for the Wings until Cambage took over in the fourth quarter.
The 26-year-old Australian erupted for 20 points in the quarter as the Wings started pulling away. Soon, the game shifted from Wings trying to stay afloat to everyone trying to feed Cambage the ball so she could break the record.
She finished the game with her ninth double-double of the season with 53 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. Cambage also showed her outside touch, shooting 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Forward Glory Johnson and guard Allisha Gray each added 13 points. Guard Skylar Diggins-Smith was the only starter to not score in double figures with nine points and seven assists.
The win came at a crucial time for the Wings, who started a stretch of four games in six nights leading up to the All-Star break.
"We really haven't painted our masterpiece yet as far as playing our best basketball," guard Skylar Diggins-Smith said. "We still can be a lot better."
Dallas is tied with the Washington Mystics at fourth place in the standings, who Dallas will host on Thursday at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
