If there were any concerns about the Liberty’s new superteam after an opening-night clunker at Washington on Friday night, they were ended in a hurry Sunday in their home debut.
Breanna Stewart, the marquee addition in the offseason overhaul, poured in a franchise-record and career-high 45 points as the Liberty beat the Fever 90-73 before 8,575 at Barclays Center.
The Liberty’s newly acquired trio of stars got the team off to a hot early lead and they never let off the gas pedal.
Stewart, who also had 12 rebounds, opened the scoring by finding Jonquel Jones for a basket and Stewart followed with a 3-pointer.
Courtney Vandersloot, the last of the new acquisitions, used her speed to sneak past her defender for a reverse layup, giving the Liberty a 7-2 lead.
Stewart hit another 3, and Jones another basket before Sabrina Ionescu, the holdover star, hit another 3 to put the Liberty up 15-4 just over three minutes into the game.
The Liberty’s Breanna Stewart reacts during the team’s win over the Fever on May 21, 2023.Michelle Farsi for the NY PostStewart finished the first quarter with 19 points, shooting 4-for-5 from deep and 6-for-7 overall, after having scored only 12 in Friday’s season opener against the Mystics.
The Liberty’s season opener was an 80-64 flop, thanks to 20 turnovers and mild production from its top scorers — shooting just 34 percent from the field.
However, head coach Sandy Brondello emphasized it will take time for the players to jell.
Breanna Stewart scores two of her career-high 45 points in the Liberty’s win over the Fever on May 21, 2023.Michelle Farsi for the NY Post“We said it’s going to take us time,” she said before Sunday’s game. “So, then they have to learn to play with each other as well. So some of it [Friday’s season opener] you saw a team that had chemistry and [at other times] a team that didn’t, so we just have to make sure that we learn quickly and then apply it.”
In regard to the turnovers, Betnijah Laney, the fifth starter to go with the Liberty’s Big 4, said, “Yes, we did talk about that.”
They turned it over just six times in Sunday’s first half to build a commanding 62-35 lead at halftime.
Production only increased from the Liberty (1-1) for the remainder of the game, their lead over the Fever (0-2) growing to 32 points early in the fourth quarter.
Courtney Vandersloot reacts during the Liberty’s win over the Fever on May 21, 2023.Michelle Farsi for the NY Post Vandersloot opened up the third quarter with back-to-back field goals, and on the next possession she effectively did a give-and-go with Stewart for a 3-point play, after which chants of “MVP” rang around the arena and continued as she approached 50 points.
Jones also went on a run, scoring 14 points after netting just five on Friday.
Vandersloot finished with 11 points and eight assists and Ionescu totaled nine points, eight assists and eight rebounds.
