SAN ANTONIO, June 16 (AP) -- Becky Hammon scored 22 points and had seven assists in her first game against her former team and the San Antonio Silver Stars defeated the New York Liberty 79-71 Saturday night.

Hammon was traded in the offseason after eight years and three All-Star appearances in New York. She's having a career season in San Antonio. She's the fifth-leading scorer in the WNBA and leads in assists.

She was traded by the Liberty on draft day for Ohio State center Jessica Davenport, who the Silver Stars had taken with the No. 2 pick.

It's the seventh time in nine games Hammon has led San Antonio (5-4) in scoring and the fourth time she's scored at least 20 points.

Sophia Young added 21 points for the Silver Stars and Erin Buescher had 16.

Davenport has started all 10 games for New York (6-4). She had eight points and five rebounds.

The Liberty, who have lost four of five games, were led by Shameka Christon and Loree Moore, who each scored 15 points.

Silver Stars assistant Brian Agler was acting head coach Saturday in place of Dan Hughes. Hughes was at home recuperating from Achilles' tendon surgery on Thursday.

San Antonio had a 14-point lead when Young scored on a pass from Hammon with 7:50 remaining in the game.

But the Liberty rallied and cut the lead to five points when Moore scored on a fast-break layup with 37 seconds to go.

San Antonio led by five points early in the second quarter, but the Silver Stars outscored New York 14-5 over the next 5:32 to go ahead by 14.

The Silver Stars finished the run with a pair of 3-point plays thanks to Hammon.

She hit a 3-pointer that put San Antonio's lead into double digits. After Christon missed a 3-point try - the Liberty's ninth miss in 11 shots from the floor - Hammon got the assist on a layup by Young, who made a free throw after being fouled by Janel McCarville.

It gave San Antonio a 37-23 lead with 4:02 remaining in the first half.