NEW YORK, NY — The New York Liberty beat the Phoenix Mercury 76-69, taking Game 1 of their first-round WNBA playoff matchup Monday night at the PHX Arena.
The Liberty pulled off an upset on the road as Natasha Cloud scored 23 points in what was likely her best game as a member of the Liberty. Breanna Stewart added 18 before exiting in overtime with a left knee injury. New York now looks to advance to the semifinals with a win at home on Wednesday in Game 2.
In a season filled with injuries, during which head coach Sandy Brondello has used over 15 different starting lineups, adversity continues to test the defending champs. With 3:01 left in overtime, Stewart went down clutching her left knee. It’s worth noting this is not the same knee she injured on July 26th, which forced her to miss 13 consecutive games.
Breanna Stewart left Game 1 vs. the Mercury Sunday night in OT with an apparent left knee injury – Image Credit: WNBA
True to her leadership, Stewart initially tried to play through the pain, missing a free throw before leaving the game with under two minutes remaining. Fighting back tears, she watched her teammates close out the win from the bench.
After the game, Brondello had no update on Stewart’s condition, saying, “ We only just got back to the locker room. I’m sure she’ll be evaluated soon.” As of now, there is no official word on the severity of Stewart’s injury. Liberty fans are holding their breath, hoping the news doesn’t sideline their superstar for long.
A serious injury to Stewart could derail New York’s postseason run before it truly begins. The Liberty’s starters are 12-0 this season when closing out games, and any absence from Stewart would be devastating to their title hopes.
With 1:51 left in OT, the Liberty needed someone to step up. With Sabrina Ionescu unable to get free, it was former Mercury guard Natasha Cloud who delivered, drilling a three-pointer to spark an 8-0 Liberty run.
Cloud’s performance fueled New York. Her nine field goals marked a season high with the Liberty, coming at a crucial time against her former team. Brondello praised her afterward, noting, “Natasha has been good for us. We know she has the ability to get downhill, and I thought she did a great job of that. But I think where she’s grown this year is just really being steady. When teams go under, she’s been ready to shoot that three ball, and she’s been shooting it extremely well lately. It’s a luxury — we have Sabrina as a handler, we have Tash, we have Stewie. That helps.”
Ionescu explained that staying in the moment helped her stay composed after Stewart went down, “I think just trying to be in the moment and understand what they were doing defensively, continuing to find different ways to attack, and keeping them on their toes is something we’ve gotten really good at.”
Sabrina Ionescu credited the team’s composure in trying to stay in the moment during the OT win after Breanna Stewart injured his left knee – Image Credit: WNBA
If the Liberty are without Stewart going forward, they’ll need to play nearly flawless basketball. During the regular season, they averaged 13.8 turnovers per game. On Sunday, they committed 20—just one shy of their season high—with 14 coming in the second half and overtime.
Defensively, however, New York responded. After giving up 43 points in the first half, the Liberty held Phoenix to just 28 the rest of the way, including OT. Jonquel Jones credited the team’s defensive connection: “I think we were all on the same page. The connection was probably the most important thing—rotating, helping each other, understanding the schemes, and executing.”
The Liberty are now one win away from advancing to the 2025 WNBA Semi-finals for the third consecutive season – Image Credit: WNBA
The Liberty ranked second in the league this season with a 97.4 defensive rating, trailing only the Minnesota Lynx.
Sunday’s victory was Brondello’s 40th career playoff win, making her just the second coach in WNBA history to reach that milestone. It also marked New York’s league-leading 17th playoff game since 2023 in which at least four players scored in double figures (Cloud: 23, Fiebich: 10, Ionescu: 16, Stewart: 18). The Liberty own a .706 win percentage in those contests. Since 2023, they’ve also recorded a league-best three overtime postseason wins.
The Liberty now head home, where they’ll look to close out the Mercury in the best-of-three series in Game 2 on Wednesday.
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