It gave the Liberty the necessary breathing room to pull out a hard-fought 79-71 victory Thursday over the Dallas Wings at Barclays Center and equal a season-high with their eighth straight victory.
“Just keep going. It’s frustrating obviously when shots don’t go in,” Stewart said. “But knowing that my teammates are looking to me and having confidence in what I do, just knowing the next one is going to go in, but just being myself.”
Leonie Fiebich defends against the Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale during the Liberty’s win on Aug. 24, 2024. Michelle Farsi/New York Post
Stewart finished with 19 points — eight coming in the final 5:36 — seven rebounds, six assists and three steals, and Jones added 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Kayla Thornton and Leonie Fiebich, two reserves pressed into starting duties due to injuries to Sabrina Ionescu (neck) and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (right knee), came up big.
Thornton notched 16 points, and Fiebich had 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists, making up for off nights from Stewart and Jones.
Jonquel Jones looks to make a move on the Wings’ Natasha Howard during the Liberty’s win on Aug. 22, 2024. Michelle Farsi/New York Post
Fiebich hit a 3-pointer with 1:14 to go to push the lead to eight and ice the win. She had been questionable to play with sore ribs.
“She just has toughness,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “You would think, ‘Look at the big picture and have a rest.’ But she saw other players were down, and she’s pretty tough. It was more like, ‘OK, I’m going to give it a shot.’ That’s what she told me at the start.
“That shows a commitment, and they’re the kind of players that we love. We never want anyone to play if they can’t. We’re always very mindful about that. But she toughed it out tonight, and we’re happy that she did.”
Kayla Thornton puts up shot during the Liberty’s win over the Wings on Aug. 22, 2024. Michelle Farsi/New York Post
Still, it was Stewart who made all the big plays late after the Wings had briefly gone ahead.
The reigning MVP took over when the Liberty (25-4) needed it.
Dallas, one of the league’s worst teams at 6-22, showed plenty of fight in giving the Liberty their toughest game since the Olympic break.
Leonie Fiebich makes 3-pointer during the Liberty’s win over the Wings. Michelle Farsi/New York Post
Arike Ogunbowale had 19 points, and Natasha Howard finished with 16 for the Wings.
“It wasn’t pretty. Sometimes you have to win ugly,” Brondello said. “We stayed together, and I think that shows the chemistry of this team. That even with adversity and not playing pretty, there was no finger pointing. It was more like, ‘Let’s just do it now and find a way.’ They’re always trying to lift each other up, pat each other on the back, encourage each other. As long as we have that, we’re in a good spot.”
Boogie wit da Hoodie with Ellie during the Liberty’s win over the Wings. Michelle Farsi/New York Post
Brondello is expecting Ionescu to return for the Liberty’s next game against the Connecticut Sun on Saturday.
“She told me she’s back next game, so hopefully that comes true,” Brondello said.
Ionescu, the Liberty’s leading scorer and distributor, has missed the last two contests.
For the latest in sports, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/sports/
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local New York City, NY
Most Popular
Comments / 0