BROOKLYN, NY — On Fan Appreciation Night at the Barclays Center Tuesday evening, the New York Liberty gave their home crowd one final regular-season victory to cheer about. Led by 19 points off the bench from Emma Meesseman and 14 from Breanna Stewart, the Liberty defeated the Washington Mystics 75-66 in their finale home game of the 2025 WNBA regular season.
The win locked up the No. 5 seed for the Liberty (26-17) heading into the WNBA playoffs, and the team’s confidence is surging with its entire roster available for the first time in months. Sabrina Ionescu returned after missing four games with a toe injury, and Nyara Sabally saw the court for the first time since July 16 after recovering from a knee issue.
“Great day to be a Liberty or a Liberty coach—no injuries,” head coach Sandy Brondello said.
Sabrina Ionescu during pregame shoot around at the Barclays Center Tuesday night before the Liberty win over the Mystic – Image Credit: Hector Beauchamp/Latino Sports
The Liberty improved to a perfect 11-0 when their starting lineup of Natasha Cloud, Sabrina Ionescu, Leonie Fiebich, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart finishes a game together. Jonquel Jones recorded her 102nd career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Liberty remain undefeated, now 34-0 all-time, when Jones achieves a double-double. While the Liberty defense shined in the first half, holding Washington to just 26 points, the Mystics cut the lead to seven in the third quarter. A timeout from Brondello allowed New York to regroup, and the team’s depth took over.
Meesseman scored nine points in the third and got to the free-throw line four times, powering a crucial stretch that highlighted the value of the Liberty’s bench.
Ionescu later joked that Tuesday was a “light day for [Meesseman] at the office.”
“It’s huge,” Ionescu said. “Just knowing we have that lift off the bench and also she has the experience. She knows what it takes in this league. She’s not really fazed by anything.”
That experience is the Liberty’s cornerstone. The roster is a collection of seasoned winners, featuring eight WNBA champions, Olympic medalists, and EuroLeague veterans—a vast reservoir of experience that provides Brondello a strategic edge.
“Experience really helps especially when you get into the playoffs and especially for us kind of being a lower seed and having to go win on the road,” Ionescu said.
The night was also special for the fans, including one couple celebrating their first wedding anniversary with a sign that read, “We choose Liberty over dinner,” specifically hoping to get the attention of Natasha Cloud.
A couple celebrating their one year wedding anniversary at the Barclays Center during the Liberty’s Fan Appreciation Night – Image Credit: Hector Beauchamp/Latino Sports
For Cloud, a bisexual woman of color, the connection with fans is profound.
“Honestly it means everything to me,” Cloud said. “I didn’t come out until later in my career and it really was this league and beingsurrounded by powerful independent women that made me feel very secure in myself and safe to be myself… For our fans, a lot of the times they talk about how they feel seen, they feel heard, and they feel validated. Life is hard, the world can be crazy. If you can find small instances of beauty and happiness and joy, hold onto those things. To those people that feel safe here and happy here, it means the world to us.”
The Liberty finish the regular season on the road against the Chicago Sky on Thursday. They will likely open the playoffs on the road Sunday against a to-be-determined opponent.
Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content
Instagram: @latinosportsoficial
Facebook: Latino Sports
Twitter: @latinosports
