Four wild facts about Liz Cambage's record-setting 53-point game

Jordan Greer

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Four wild facts about Liz Cambage's record-setting 53-point game image

Liz Cambage came into Tuesday afternoon's game between the New York Liberty and Dallas Wings ready to chew bubblegum and get buckets — and she was all out of bubblegum. The 6-8 center exploded for 53 points in the Wings' 104-87 win on an insanely efficient 17-of-22 shooting from the field (77.3 percent). Oh, and she threw in 10 rebounds and five blocks for good measure.

Cambage, who spent parts of two seasons with the then-Tulsa Shock after being selected by the franchise No. 2 overall in the 2011 WNBA Draft, played in China and Australia the last five years before coming back to the WNBA this season. The 26-year-old continued her terrific return with a truly historic performance against the Liberty, but just how crazy was her scoring output? Glad you asked...

1. Cambage set the franchise and league record for points in a single game.

With a 3-pointer from the top of the key late in the fourth quarter, Cambage hit 53 points, passing Riquna Williams (51 points) and setting a new WNBA record. She went 4-of-5 from 3-point range after hitting only 5-of-18 in her previous 21 games. 

But it wasn't just the deep ball. Cambage was unstoppable from just about every spot on the floor. New York simply had no answers.

2. Cambage outscored the Liberty's starting five.

The lineup of Shavonte Zellous (10 points), Epiphanny Prince (four points), Brittany Boyd (eight points), Tina Charles (19 points) and Kia Vaughn (two points) produced 43 points, losing to Cambage alone by 10. The Liberty starting unit shot 16-of-38 (42.1 percent). Cambage beat that output with 16 attempts to spare.

Kia Nurse had 25 points off the bench for the Liberty, and under normal circumstances, she might have been the star of the game. But Cambage refused to be denied on this day.

3. Cambage outscored the Liberty by herself in the fourth quarter.

All those points didn't come in garbage time. The Wings only led by one point going into the fourth quarter after a 29-17 Liberty run in the third.

Cambage proceeded to tally 20 quick points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting while the Liberty struggled down the stretch, only managing 14 points in the final frame. Here's how it looked (via WNBA.com)...

liz-cambage-shooting-chart-071718.jpg

4. Cambage had one of the best individual performances since Michael Jordan.

Oh yeah. That guy. He was pretty good.

Cambage became the first player since Jordan to post at least 50 points and 10 rebounds on 75 percent shooting, per ESPN Stats and Info. Only six pro players have ever hit those numbers: Cambage, Jordan, Karl Malone, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Wilt Chamberlain. (By the way, Wilt did it seven times. Ridiculous.)

The big takeaway? Don't doubt Liz Cambage. She might drop 50-plus points on your head.

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.