New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart Suffers Knee Injury
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart underwent an MRI and additional tests on Monday to evaluate the left knee injury suffered during Sunday’s 76-69 victory over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 of the WNBA first-round series. Stewart was injured in overtime, with 3:01 remaining, when she attempted a layup against Satou Sabally and DeWanna Bonner of Phoenix. As Stewart went up, she already seemed to be grimacing, and as she fell to the court, she immediately grabbed her left knee. Initially, Stewart remained in the game, but Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said Stewart asked to be substituted after feeling “unwell.” After Stewart sat on the bench, she was visibly in pain and with tears in her eyes. After the game, Brondello did not provide an update on Stewart, who finished with 18 points. “We just hope she’s okay,” Brondello said. Stewart missed 13 regular season games due to a bone bruise in his right knee, and in March, he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Despite Stewart’s departure, New York won the first game and stole home-court advantage from the Mercury. Natasha Cloud, who played in Phoenix last season, made consecutive layups to give the Liberty a two-point lead with 4:17 remaining in the final quarter. Kahleah Copper responded with two free throws and, after a turnover by Sabrina Ionescu, Alyssa Thomas made a no-look pass to Copper for a wide-open layup that gave the Mercury a 65-63 lead with 1:44 remaining. Stewart then made a difficult basket in the zone 13 seconds later that eventually forced overtime.Cloud hit a three-pointer to open the overtime and ignite an 8-0 run that put the score at 73-65 with 1:51 remaining. Phoenix cut their deficit to four, but Leonie Fiebich, who finished with 10 points, hit a big three-pointer to seal the victory.“We looked around and realized we had been in that position before,” Ionescu said. “Understanding how important the extension is and knowing that we had another gear to reach. I am proud of the way we stuck together, overcame the streaks they had and, ultimately, found a way to win.”
Sabrina Ionescu
The Liberty, who averaged 13.8 turnovers in the regular season, finished with 20 turnovers, one less than their season high, which included 14 after halftime. With or without Stewart, the Liberty can sweep the series in the second game on Wednesday and advance to the semifinals for the second consecutive season. Despite Stewart’s uncertain availability, the Liberty don’t want to miss the opportunity to close out this series quickly.“I had missed a few at the beginning, but I knew I was going to make the most important one of the night,” Ionescu said about Fiebich’s shot. “That’s what she does… she’s one of the best three-point shooters in the world.”
Sabrina Ionescu
“We have the advantage,” Brondello said. “We won on their court and now the advantage is for us to take care of it. This is an experienced team, and we’ve been here before. We know what our goal is and we want to keep playing.”
Sandy Brondello
