Breanna Stewart was the leading force for the Liberty once again Wednesday night, surpassing 40 points for the second time this season, with 43 in a 99-95 victory over the Phoenix Mercury at Barclays Center.
“We have Breanna Stewart, that helps. She’s a clutch player,” head coach Sandy Brondello said after the Liberty improved to 12-4 despite nearly blowing a 20-point lead late in the game before Stewart scored 14 of their final 16 points to stave off Phoenix. “We’re happy with the win, but not satisfied with the way we won, but I’m glad we closed it out.”
Stewart has been indispensable and the forward has been the Liberty’s lifeline when stumbles like the fourth quarter Wednesday roll around.
The Liberty took the lead early in the first quarter, maintained that advantage for the entire first half and opened the third quarter with a 12-3 run to eventually bolster their edge to 73-53 with four minutes left before the fourth.
The Mercury, however, were never out of the fight and capitalized on the Liberty’s mistakes.
Phoenix’s Brittney Griner, who scored 21 points, was held to just six in the first half, while Michaela Onyenwere, the Liberty’s No. 6 overall pick in 2021, continued to be a spark for the Mercury (3-13) up front and was a big part of her team’s productive 50.7 field goal percentage, finishing with 19 points.
The Liberty leaned on their cushy lead while getting in some undisciplined foul trouble through the second half. Kayla Thornton was called for two flagrant 1 fouls against Diana Taurasi and was ejected in the third quarter.
Taurasi, who finished with 23 points, cashed in for six cumulative points from the free-throw line, shifting the momentum of the matchup.
“That’s lack of discipline, that’s a little lack of focus. We’ve got to be better,” Brondello said.
The Liberty’s bench took a while to get going and couldn’t provide the scoring they needed, so, it was back to the starters.
“The starters, we have the most chemistry together and we fall back on that,” Stewart said. “We believe in each other and we continue to trust one another.”
With lazy lapses in coverage on the defensive end and a disjointed look offensively in the fourth quarter, the Liberty let the Phoenix walk right back into the game, eventually tying it 90-90 on a four-point play by Sophie Cunningham with just over three minutes left.
“Understanding in the WNBA anything can happen,” Stewart said. “Whether you’re up 20 or down 20, if you continue to keep playing, you’ll be able to make it a game.”
The Liberty’s Courtney Vandersloot had an off shooting night, totaling eight points.
Nonetheless, the guard, who leads the WNBA in assists, set her teammates up in the most important moments, dishing it up court to Stewart for a driving layup with 18 seconds left that put the home team up 98-95.
When it counted Stewart stepped up and grinded it out.
Her 12 rebounds also led the Liberty, who sit in first place atop the Eastern Conference, and she added six assists.
She had the third 40-point game in franchise history, nearly matching her career high of 45 from the home opener this season.
“She’s just so dependable and reliable and willing to do whatever it takes to win,” Brondello said.
The Liberty did not dominate for 40 minutes, but they found a way to win.
“Phoenix is a good team and they haven’t really had time where they’ve played together with a healthy roster, so give credit to them,” Stewart said.
“We’ll take the win, but we need to continue to get better.”
