Breanna Stewart erupts for 36 points as Liberty avoid Commissioner’s Cup hangover with statement win over Lynx

Nothing regarding Breanna Stewart’s excellence surprises any of her teammates anymore.

Stewart is a three-time WNBA champion, two-time league MVP, three-time Olympic gold medalist and soon-to-be eight-time WNBA All-Star, among other things.

Advertisement

We’ve got you covered on the Liberty beat

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA.

tRY IT NOW

She’s the definition of a winner.

She’s a big reason why the Liberty won the Commissioner’s Cup Tuesday. She earned this year’s in-season tournament MVP trophy, which she turned into a chalice and drank champagne from out of.

Then, Stewart made sure there would be no evidence of a proverbial championship hangover Friday when the Liberty returned to their regularly scheduled programming.

Stewart exploded for a season-high 36 points in the Liberty’s 99-86 win against their rival, the Minnesota Lynx.

Stewart was on one out of the gates, scoring 16 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting in the first quarter.

Advertisement

She never let up as she continued to run, attack and frustrate the Lynx, the league’s top-ranked team. Stewart made it clear she wasn’t going to allow the Liberty let this one slip finishing with her highest scoring output since Sept. 15, 2024.

It was Stewart’s 33rd career 30-point game, the third-most in WNBA history behind Diana Taurasi (54) and A’ja Wilson (43).

She never let up as she continued to run, attack and frustrate the Lynx, the league’s top-ranked team. Stewart made it clear she wasn’t going to allow the Liberty let this one slip away.

“She had some tough ones today,” Leonie Fiebich said. “She was really aggressive, as I said, there’s no answer for her, especially not in Minnesota. It’s really hard to stop her if she comes with an aggressive mindset and then she hit some 3s so that helps, too, she was just confident and I love it.”

Advertisement

All of Stewart’s teammates have been asked about the superstar’s greatness every which way.

What’s left to say about Stewart?

“Nothing,” Sabrina Ionescu said. “Everyone knows the elite player she is on both sides of the floor, the engine and motor that she has to play and I kind of applaud our team. I feel like we do a really good job of — we know how great she is and we try and look for her every single time because she can do everything.”

When the Liberty need a basket, Stewart delivers. When the offense isn’t working, she’ll manufacture points by getting to the free-throw line. When the team needs a big stop, Stewart does it.

Advertisement

Rinse and repeat.

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve had an opportunity to make history Friday after she tied Mike Thibault’s WNBA record of 379 career coaching wins earlier this week.

But the Liberty ensured Reeve will have to wait at least one more game before breaking the record.

“We know Minnesota really well, we’ve gone up against them many times, and it’s just personal,” said Fiebich, a member of the 2024 Liberty team that beat the Lynx in the Finals that year. “And I think you saw that today.”

All five of the Liberty’s starters scored at least 13 points.

After a rocky two-week stretch of Ionescu trying to find her footing, she has now strung together two solid performances. She finished with 17 points and six assists.

Advertisement

Jonquel Jones notched her sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Pauline Astier had 14 points and six assists, while Fiebich added 13 points, four assists and three rebounds.

While Stewart was the clear catalyst for Friday’s win, the game was also an example of how lethal this team can be when everyone’s clicking.

Coach Chris DeMarco has repeatedly emphasized the importance of building over the course of this season. The foundation has been established, but the process to construct a championship run is far from over.

“When we’re playing the right way, we’re a very hard team to stop,” Jones said.

“Obviously, when we’re locked in the way that we were tonight, games are going to go our way. And so we just have to continue to bring the same level of intensity.”

… and we’re a very, very, very difficult team to beat.”