Breanna Stewart delivered a commanding performance to lead the New York Liberty to a 106-69 victory over the Toronto Tempo on Sunday in Toronto. Stewart scored 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting and made all seven of her free throws in just 22 minutes, helping the Liberty extend their winning streak to three games as they continue to vie for home-court advantage in the upcoming WNBA playoffs.
The Liberty (26-16) have two games remaining in the regular season, both against the Atlanta Dream at home on Monday and Wednesday. Their current standing leaves them with a possibility to finish anywhere between fourth and eighth place in the playoff seedings. Stewart’s performance on Sunday also saw her move into eighth place on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list with a career total of 6,833 points, surpassing Cappie Pondexter’s 6,811 points. The next player on the list is Candice Dupree, who has 6,895 points.
Stewart was instrumental throughout the game, scoring nine points in the first quarter and 13 by halftime as New York led 45-37. She then dominated the third quarter by adding 14 points, including five consecutive field goals, to help the Liberty pull away decisively. Her impact was felt so strongly that head coach Chris DeMarco allowed Stewart to rest the entire fourth quarter, with Stewart and fellow star Sabrina Ionescu subbing out with nearly three minutes left in the third. Jonquel Jones also exited shortly after, signaling a comfortable finish for New York.
Rebecca Allen, a teammate of Stewart’s, praised her leadership and ability to elevate the team’s play. Allen highlighted Stewart’s unique approach to communication and her influence on the court. Coach DeMarco echoed these sentiments, describing Stewart as the best player in the world and lauding her character and consistent leadership.
For the Toronto Tempo (11-31), the loss marked their sixth consecutive defeat and 18th in 19 games since a previous win over the Liberty in mid-July. First-year Tempo coach Sandy Brondello, who has previously coached Stewart, acknowledged how challenging it is to face the star player, calling her one of her favorite players ever to coach. On the Tempo side, Laura Juskaite scored a career-high 28 points, and Kiki Rice added 19 in the team’s home finale.
Stewart noted that while the Liberty may have played cautiously in the first half, her third-quarter surge helped widen the gap. She emphasized the importance of the remaining season games as preparation for the playoffs and expressed a focused mindset on winning the upcoming matchups against the Dream.
Elsewhere in the league, Nneka Ogwumike contributed 20 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists as the Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Portland Fire 105-84. Ogwumike recently became the fourth player in WNBA history to surpass 8,000 career points. The Sparks also honored their hometown legend Lisa Leslie with the unveiling of a statue outside Crypto.com Arena during a halftime ceremony.