LIBERTY 90 | FEVER 73
(1-1) (0-2)
May 21, 2023
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | FINAL | |
| LIBERTY | 36 | 26 | 23 | 5 | 90 |
| FEVER | 14 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 73 |
| GAME LEADERS | NEW YORK | INDIANA |
| POINTS | Stewart (45) | Smith (16) |
| REBOUNDS | Stewart (12) | Smith (12) |
| ASSISTS | Ionescu, Vandersloot (8) | Mitchell (3) |
TEAM NOTABLES
In Sunday’s home opener, the New York Liberty (1-1) defeated the Indiana Fever (0-2), 90-73, in the first game of their 2023 four-game season series.
At Barclays Center, the Liberty finished on 48.5% (33-68) shooting from the field, 48.3% (14-29) from three, and 90.9% (10-11) at the free throw line.
With their 36 first-quarter points, New York set a franchise first-quarter scoring record, and their six makes from deep were one shy of eclipsing the franchise’s first-quarter record for made triples.
New York’s 28 assists tied the franchise record for the seventh-most assists in a single game.
Breanna Stewart’s 45 points in her Barclays Center debut is the second-most all-time by a home player in their debut––Liberty or Nets. With Stewart’s 30:14 minutes played, this is the most points scored in under 31 minutes played in WNBA history.
Up Next: The New York Liberty will host the Connecticut Sun on Saturday, May 27, at 1 p.m. ET.
KEY RUNS
Q1: New York opened the game on a 15-5 run through the 6:55 mark of the period and went on a 13-3 run from the 3:16 mark through the end of the first.
Q2: Indiana went on a 13-5 run from the 8:36 mark of the second to the 4:11 mark of the period.
Q3: New York went on a 13-5 run from the 5:12 mark of the third to the 8:55 mark of the fourth period.
Q4: Indiana went on an 18-3 run from the 7:56 mark of the fourth to the 0:14 mark of the period.
PLAYER NOTABLES
New York finished with three double-figure scorers in today’s game (Stewart, Jones, Vandersloot).
Highlighted by 19 first-quarter points, including four three-point makes, Breanna Stewart finished with a franchise-high 45 points on 71.4% (15-21) shooting from the floor, including 66.7% (6-9) from deep, 12 rebounds, and three assists. This marked her second-consecutive double-double.
Her 45-point performance is the second-most all-time by a home player in their Barclays Center debut––Liberty or Nets, and this is the most points scored in under 31 minutes played in WNBA history.
Today, Stewart set career-highs in scoring (45), three-pointers made (6), the new Liberty all-time scoring record, and a new franchise record for made field goals (15). Her 29 first-half points set a new career-high for first-half scoring––one point shy of the most-ever in first-half scoring in WNBA history.
Jonquel Jones finished with 14 points on 60% (6-10) shooting from the floor, including 100% (2-2) from three, and three rebounds.
Courtney Vandersloot finished with 11 points on 50% (5-10) shooting from the field, including 50% (1-2) from three, and eight assists, tying the game-high for assists.
Sabrina Ionescu finished with nine points in a near-triple-double outing, including 33.3% (3-9) shooting from deep, eight assists, eight rebounds, and two steals.
For Indiana, NaLyssa Smith finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Aliyah Boston added 15 points and four rebounds.