Liberty’s WNBA title defense ends in crushing Game 3 loss

PHOENIX — Breanna Stewart had no doubt. From the moment she woke up Friday morning, the adrenaline already pumping through her veins, she knew the outcome of Game 3. 

She turned over in bed, grabbed her phone and texted her wife, Marta, two words: “I’m ready.” 

She certainly was. But when it mattered most, when their season was on the line, the Liberty needed more from her teammates. They couldn’t deliver. 

Stewart, who finished with 30 points and nine rebounds on a sprained left MCL, scored all 14 of New York’s points in the fourth quarter. She went 4-for-7 from the field, while her teammates went 0-for-8. 

Against this Phoenix team on this night, it wasn’t enough. The Liberty needed more clutch plays. More stops. More help. Instead, they’re heading home after a 79-73 defeat with their bid to repeat ending in the first round. 

“It’s tough,” Stewart said. “Only one team gets to feel good at the end of their season and this year we weren’t that team and it really, really hurts and I think it’ll continue to hurt for days, weeks, months from now on.” 

Stewart brushed off questions about her bum knee at shootaround. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Stewart said. “I told everybody, I’m like, ‘I don’t care. I don’t want to talk about how it’s feeling because I’m going to play.’ And that’s the focus of what we’re going to do on the court — not how I’m feeling.” 

Stewart laid it all on the line like she promised she would. She accounted for 15 of the Liberty’s 26 free-throw attempts. She led all scorers. She made two of her three 3-point attempts despite this being her shakiest campaign to date from deep. 

She did everything she could until the final buzzer to try to will the Liberty to a win and a chance at survival. 

“It describes what kind of player she is — not really giving up, ever,” Leonie Fiebich said. “She can put any team on her back at any time. She has all the trust in the world from us players and she did what she could tonight.” 

Jonquel Jones said Stewart was simply “amazing.” 

“She’s dealing with a lot with her body and to see her go out there and be able to play so physically and really just carry our team and propel us to be able to play in such a close game like it was, amazing,” Jones said. 

Sabrina Ionescu was also good. She scored 22 points — most of which came in the second and third quarters. 

She also had six rebounds and four assists. 

New York clawed, scratched and fought for most of Friday night. But the Mercury always found a way to respond. 

“M-V-P” chants broke out for Alyssa Thomas as she stepped to the free-throw line in the game’s final minutes. 

When Ionescu’s Hail Mary 3 late in the game missed the mark, she untucked her jersey and pushed her hair back. 

It was over. 

Ionescu finished with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists. 

Natasha Cloud’s three-point play put the Liberty within one of the Mercury heading into the fourth quarter. 

But after exchanging blows, the difference maker ultimately was a 7-0 run that gave the Mercury a 72-66 lead with 5:26 left in the fourth. 

That six-point hole became too steep a climb. 

Stewart fought until the end. She made an off-balanced jumper after being fouled by Satou Sabally, turning it into a three-point play. 

She then made a hook shot over DeWanna Bonner to cut the Mercury’s edge to three. 

Bonner’s jumper off an inbounds pass bounced in to put the Mercury up 76-71 with 1:13 left. 

Stewart made a pair of free throws to keep the Liberty’s hopes and season alive. 

The Liberty didn’t get enough from Jones, Kennedy Burke or Fiebich. 

Jones had only three points on 1 of 10 shooting. Burke, who shot 41.4 percent from deep this season, went 0-for-6 from deep. 

It wasn’t a good series for Jones, who didn’t reach double digit scoring for the seventh time over the last eight games — her longest such stretch since 2016. 

The desperation from both teams was palpable. 

Physicality was upped. The tension was thicker than stale rice krispies bar. Both teams exchanged verbal barbs. 

In the end, though, Thomas couldn’t be stopped. She registered arguably her most remarkable triple-double to date, with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in an elimination game. 

Satou Sabally had 23 points and 12 rebounds. Kahleah Copper added 12 points and nine boards. 

The Liberty’s road ended Friday in Phoenix with no regrets. But the core intends to run it back. 

“[I’m] really proud of the group,” Stewart said. “This team is more than resilient with all the sh-t that we’ve gone through this season and we left it all out.”