Han Xu scores 15 points in Liberty's rout of Lynx

WASHINGTON - Chinese center Han Xu set a personal best of 15 points as the New York Liberty thrashed the Minnesota Lynx 88-69 in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) on Tuesday.

Playing 25 minutes, Han shot six of 12 from the field and made all three free throws, adding five rebounds, one assist and one steal to her scoring tally. Her previous scoring record was 13 when the Liberty faced the Seattle Storm on May 29.

"Thanks to my coach for trusting me, giving me a lot of playing time and laying out tactics to create chances for me," Han said in a phone interview with Xinhua.

"Defensively it's fine, but I need to do better in rebounds. Offensively, my shooting is not quite stable. This is what I need to continue to work on," she added.

Leading by eight points into the halftime, the Liberty outscored 29-11 in the third quarter to effectively win the game.

Four other players scored in double figures in the Liberty's fourth win of the season. Sabrina Ionescu had an all-around game with 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, including a half-court heave at the halftime buzzer. Rebecca Allen added 13. Natasha Howard and Sami Whitcomb had 11 apiece.

Kayla McBride led the Lynx with 13 points. Aerial Powers and Sylvia Fowles scored 11 and 10 respectively.

Drafted by New York with the overall 14th pick in 2019, Han has posted an average of 10.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in nine appearances this season. She scored nine points on four-of-five shooting in the two sides' last encounter two days ago.

The Liberty will visit the Indiana Fever on Friday.