Breanna Stewart set a new WNBA scoring standard on Sunday while leading the New York Liberty in a rally past the Atlanta Dream to extend the best start in franchise history.
Stewart tallied 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals in New York’s 81-75 victory. In the second quarter, she scored her 5,000th career point, becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to do so. She reached the threshold in her 242nd game, edging previous record-holder and all-time WNBA leading scorer Diana Taurasi, who posted her 5,000th point in her 243rd game.
Liberty, Stewart rally from sluggish starts to secure milestones
Stewart and the WNBA-best (15-3) Liberty got off to a slow start at home against a 7-9 Dream team. Atlanta opened a 24-10 advantage and finished the first quarter leading, 24-13. Stewart scored New York’s second bucked of the game then missed six consecutive shots as Atlanta seized early control.
With 8:10 remaining in the second quarter, Stewart hit a floater on an assist from Sabrina Ionescu. That bucket secured her 5,001st career point and cut the Dream lead to 28-15. Atlanta extended its edge to 31-15 on an Alisha Gray 3-pointer, but New York began to chip away from there.
Stewart scored nine points in the second quarter as New York cut the Atlanta lead to 41-36 at halftime. A 17-2 New York run that straddled the second and third quarters gave the Liberty a 44-43 lead with 7:00 remaining in the third. Back-to-back 3s by Stewart extended that lead to 52-45 late in the third.
Atlanta cut the New York advantage to 60-59 at the end of the quarter, but never took the lead again. The Liberty finished the game on a 21-16 run to improve to 16-3 to extend the best start in franchise history with the league’s best record.
Four Liberty players scored in double figures. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton posted 18 points, six assists and five rebounds while hitting 4 of 6 3-pointers. New York overcame a poor shooting day by Ionescu (3 of 17, 2 of 11 from 3, 10 points) to secure the win. Gray led Atlanta with 24 points in the losing effort.
WNBA Finalists last season, the Liberty now have a 1.5-game lead over the 14-4 Connecticut Sun atop the Eastern Conference.
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