This time, the Liberty didn’t have it late in the game. 

No Sabrina Ionescu late-game layup arrived to save them — nor a deep 3-point try from her in the final seconds. 

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In a foul-and-whistle-happy game, the Liberty snapped their eight-game win streak, the longest active winning streak in the league, in a messy 86-83 loss to the Washington Mystics at Barclays Center after two missed chances in the final 11.8 seconds. 

Following a Mystics timeout, Kiki Iriafen got past the Liberty defense for a layup and went on to shoot the winning foul shots following Breanna Stewart’s missed layup and fifth personal foul. 

After an inbounds play, the Liberty put the ball in their star 3-point shooter’s hands, but Ionescu didn’t have the magic touch. A last-second Hail Mary attempt from Satou Sabally didn’t make the cut either. 

The loss came after the Liberty barely beat the Sky on Wednesday, winning by only a point in yet another sloppy game. They fell short at home Friday in the Juneteenth Unity game. 

“It really sucks,” Leonie Fiebich said after the loss. “I really hate losing, especially like that at home.” 

“We gotta stay connected,” coach Chris DeMarco said. “Just read the game. A few different things hurt us but I think overall we gotta continue to learn how to play with the lead and take care of the ball when it matters, and make sure we are getting quality shots when it matters.” 

After the game, Stewart blamed herself for Iriafen’s decisive layup, as she stepped up to stop Sonia Citron from entering the paint, leaving the All-Star forward open under the rim. 

“Basically I saw that she [Irafen] was on her hip and it led to the easy dunk for Kiki,” she said. “So, definitely a miscue on my part.” 

Iriafen finished with 20 points and Citron added 16. 

It didn’t always look like the game would go this way for the Liberty, who can usually seem to find an answer. 

With under seven minutes to play, the Liberty retook the lead following two 3-pointers from Marine Johannes and Fiebich. 

Stewart then went down the other end to score a layup before she followed with a rebound that led to Jonquel Jones at the line for two points. Shortly after that, the two-time MVP stole the ball from Shakira Austin, and the Liberty converted two points on the other end for an eight-point lead — their largest for the game — with under five minutes to play. 

However, that advantage was soon spoiled by poor passes and poor transition defense as an Iriafen layup and a Michaela Onyenwere steal and two points tied it up at 79-79 with two minutes to go. 

“Good question,” Johannes said when asked why the Liberty lost their lead. “They were just running the floor and we lost the momentum. And then, tie game, we made some fouls that didn’t really help us. So, just little stuff like that.” 

It was a tough game for the Liberty, who entered the fourth quarter with Stewart holding four fouls, and Sabally quickly gained her fourth early in the final frame. 

Stewart and Fiebich powered most of the Liberty’s late-game scoring, ending with 16 points and 19 points, respectively. Sabally finished with 13 off the bench and Jones added 10. 

The game was close from the start. Each team only led by as many as three points following the first quarter. 

However, for every answer the Mystics had, the Liberty worked to regain the edge, no matter how messy, including when Sabally’s 3-pointer put the Liberty just two points behind to end the third quarter. 

The Liberty will embark on a four-game West Coast trip starting Sunday against the Sparks as a tuneup for the Commissioner’s Cup final against the Aces on June 30.