The New York Liberty had won the championship back in 2024. While last year, too, they were the favorites, the Las Vegas Aces came in and ruined their plans. And the repercussions were huge. Despite a playoff run last year, the front office decided to fire their championship-winning coach, Sandy Brondello.
Immediately, a huge controversy broke out. With fans demanding an answer for the sudden decision, Brondello cited the partnership gap as a probable reason. Now, as Chris DeMarco has taken over the reins, the Liberty is hoping for a drastic change in their fortunes. Thankfully, owing to a Breanna Stewart special, New York is off to a flyer.
Breanna Stewart Makes Light Work Of Connecticut Sun
Coming to their season opener, the Liberty were not in a good state. With the likes of Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally, Rebecca Allen, Leonie Fiebich, and Raquel Carrera out of action, the team was struggling to put in nine players. With no other option left, the front office signed Julie Vanloo and Aubrey Griffin to hardship contracts.
Now then, with so many negatives, the Connecticut Sun might have fancied a chance to topple the former champion. However, Stewart had other ideas. As New York pressed on the accelerator, they went on to win 106-75. And leading the offense, the 31-year-old had a stellar evening.
Breanna Stewart to open the 2026 season:
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) May 9, 2026
31 PTS
10 REB
3 BLK
10-17 FG
Liberty beat the Sun by 31. pic.twitter.com/1TrszxFdmo
Stewart clinched 31 points, ten rebounds, and three blocks. This was also her 16th 30-point double-double performance in the league. En route, she broke Tina Charles’ record for second-most in WNBA history. Starting the season on a winning note, Stewart said, “We played faster than I expected … we were able to push in transition a lot more, and just the way we were moving offensively, everybody was on a string. And we scored a lot of points.”
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However, alongside the 3-time WNBA champion, head coach DeMarco, too, looked elated.
Chris DeMarco Happy After Breanna Stewart Surge Takes New York Liberty Over
Looking at the stats, Brittney Griner tried her best to script a Connecticut comeback. But the Liberty were just too good. As ‘Stewie’ shot 10-of-13 from two and 11-of-12 from the line, the Sun were crushed under the bulldozer. Additionally, the Liberty also shot a whopping 69% from the two.
Reflecting on the win, DeMarco said, “The pride I had of, like, seeing the crowd going nuts in that first quarter when we were finding great shots, we’re competing, we’re defending. Like, this is exactly why I love this game. That’s why I love to coach. It’s watching the players figure it out and just compete. So that’ll be the memory, just watching the crowd go nuts.”
Thus, with things looking rosy, fans will now see what’s next.