WASHINGTON — Breanna Stewart had 26 points and 11 rebounds, Sabrina Ionescu had 13 points and seven assists, and the New York Liberty improved to 8-0 with an 86-78 victory over the Washington Mystics on Thursday night.

New York is off to its best start in franchise history, moving past the 1997 squad that started 7-0.

Kennedy Burke hit a 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds left in the third quarter to give New York a 73-57 lead.

But Washington scored 14 of the opening 18 points of the fourth to get within 77-71. The Mystics had a chance to reduce a seven-point deficit with three minutes remaining before Isabelle Harrison made a steal and a fast-break layup while being fouled. Harrison completed the three-point play for an 81-71 lead.

After New York’s lead was trimmed to 81-77 following Washington’s 6-0 run, Stewart made 3 of 4 free throws and Ionescu added two.

Bueckers remains out: Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers will miss her third consecutive game with a concussion when the Los Angeles Sparks visit tonight.

Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft out of UConn, was placed in the WNBA’s concussion protocol after a 97-92 loss at Chicago on May 29. The Wings said she would miss at least two games while not providing any specifics on what led to the concussion.