Stewart makes history in Liberty home debut
UConn women’s basketball great Breanna Stewart staged a historic performance in her Brooklyn debut as a member of the New York Liberty.
Stewart had 45 points on 15 of 21 shooting in Sunday’s 9073 win over the Indiana Fever. She also had 12 rebounds and set the franchise record for points in a game.
After signing with New York as a celebrated free agent in the offseason, Stewart has been under the microscope as the face of a WNBA title favorite.
But the player with four NCAA titles and two WNBA titles seized the moment in her first performance in front of her home crowd.
“You couldn’t ask for it to be any better,” Stewart told reporters after the game. “The support, the outcome … yes, the 45 points is great, but if I didn’t score 45 points and we still had the win and the same fan engagement, that’s what we want.
“That’s what shows that I made the right decision in coming here. We’re here to win, obviously. But we’re here to also push the needle.”
Consider the needle pushed.
Let’s break down Stewart’s NYC debut:
UConn Club
Stewart was 6 of 9 on 3pointers, so she became the second player in WNBA history with 45 or more points 10 or more rebounds, and six or more 3-pointers in one game.
The other? Maya Moore, who sits next to Stewart on UConn’s Mount Rushmore.
Sounds familiar
Speaking of UConn, what’s Geno Auriemma’s most memorable quote? There are many, of course, but his description of Diana Taurasi is near the top: “We got Diana
and they don’t.”
Let’s give props to Liberty coach Sandy Brondello for riffing on Geno’s line during her postgame presser Sunday.
“We have Breanna Stewart and they don’t, I suppose,” she said. “That’s what it comes down to.”
It should be noted by Brondello coached Taurasi with the Phoenix Mercury for eight seasons before taking over in New York last year. She’s two games into her tenure as Stewart’s coach, so she’s led two of UConn’s alltime greats.
And one side note: Bron
dello ended her playing career with the Seattle Storm in 2003, when she was a teammate of another UConn legend — Sue Bird.
Some history
According to ESPN, Stewart is just the second player in WNBA history — after Liz Cambage — to score 40-plus points while shooting at least 70% from the field.
She also notched the fifth 45-point double-double in WNBA history. And she’s the first player in league history to score over 40 points in a home debut with a new team.
The 45 points is tied for seventh-most in league history.
She broke the Liberty franchise record (set by Cappie Pondexter in 2010) and it was her career high.
In fact, Stewart told reporters that she’s pretty sure she never had more points in high school or college. She’s right about college: Stewart’s careerhigh at UConn was 37 against Temple on Jan. 28, 2014.
What she said
Stewart was asked about her sublime performance.
“You think everything is going in,” Stewart said.
Did it live up to everything she expected? She said family and friends were at the game, as people traveled from Syracuse for her debut. Her wife Marta Xargay and daughter Ruby were also in the building.
“Everything worked out exactly the way I wanted it,” Stewart said. “We won, playing well, amazing fans, my grandparents being here, Marta and Ruby … because this is an experience for all of us. And I want everybody to make sure that they enjoy it, and our cross-country move was definitely worth it. .. But we’re happy to be here.”
With a raucous crowd of 8,575 at Barclays Center, Stewart was asked during a postgame interview on the court what it felt like to take the court — finally — in her home state at a member of the Liberty.
“It feels like I made the right decision,” she said.