The New York Liberty (19-6) played the first of two games in California and against the Los Angeles Sparks (9-16) on Sunday, and won the first game by a final of 87-79.
New York and Los Angeles playing in Crypto.com Arena for the 59th time in franchise history, in a game that had many in the arena on their feet with how fast paced and exciting the action was.
Marine Johannès stepped up for New York, as she finished with a career high shooting at a 100% with 5-5 three pointers during the game. Johannes scored 15 points off the bench, on 62.5% (5-8) shooting from the floor, including 71.4% (5-7) from deep. Johannes is one of those players that you like to see on the court after being resigned by Liberty in 2022.
Marine helps New York in so many ways including her brilliant court vision along with her ability to shoot the ball from beyond the three-point arc. Johannès is going to be a key player for the Liberty as they progress in the 2023 Season, and in the last few games Johannes is stepping up for her squad.
Breanna Stewart AKA ‘Stewie’ continues to outdo herself, while continuing to etch her name in the WNBA Record books. With her second three-pointer at the 9:23 mark of the third, ‘Stewie’ became the second player in WNBA history to record at least 500 points, 200 rebounds, and 50 threes through their team’s first 25 games. She joins Maya Moore, who did so during her MVP season in 2014.
New York Liberty fans are encouraged to check out the video below as Head Coach Sandy Brondello along with Breanna Stewart and Marine Johannès share these thoughts from after the team’s victory against the Sparks on Sunday:
To have your name ranked alongside someone like Maya Moore is a great accomplishment, as she is a 4x MVP champion, 6x WNBA All- Star, and an Olympic Gold medalist to only list some of the accomplishments in Maya’s career. Thanks to these accolades and her overall winning mentality when it came time for playing basketball, Sports Illustrated named Moore as the greatest winner in the history of Basketball.
‘Stewie’ is well on her way when it comes to conquering and dominating in the league, as thus far she has etched her name in both the New York Liberty and WNBA record books.
The first historical performance for Breanna came on July 27, when became the first player in WNBA history to record 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a half. In addition, she became the second player in WNBA history to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a single game without a turnover – joining Sabrina Ionescu as she achieved the feat against the Las Vegas Aces on August 6, 2022.
Wanting to make an impact with her new team and teammates, with just 23 games into her Liberty career, Breanna became the fastest player to 500 points as a member of the franchise.
In the game against the Sparks, Breanna led the way with her 25 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and two assists.
In the breaking news of the day Breanna was just named to the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week because of her stat line of 25.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 3.3 apg, in helping to lead the team to a 3-1 record. Also being recognized as the Western Conference Player of the Week is Aces Chelsea Gray.
This weekly honor is Stewart’s 14th of her career, her fourth of the season, and the 53rd all-time in Liberty history.
Also having a fine performance on the court is Jonquel Jones, as she tallied 13 points, a game high of 13 rebounds, making it her fifth double-double in the last six games. In addition, Jones has her seventh double-double of the season.
Rounding out the stat leaders is Ionescu with her 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Game Two between the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks is scheduled to play on Tuesday, August 1 at Crypto.com Arena with the tip off scheduled for 10:00 p.m.
For more information on the New York Liberty fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: