Stew Era: Liberty Flush Fever, Breanna Stewart Gets 45 in Brooklyn Debut

Behind a dominant effort from Breanna Stewart, the rebooted New York Liberty recovered from a dreary debut by crushing the Indiana Fever in their home opener on Sunday.

NEW YORK-Breanna Stewart hardly needs to introduce herself considering the packed basketball resume she has built thus far. She nonetheless left a golden ... or seafoam, as the case may be ... first impression on her new adoring public in Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon.

The 2023 home opener, the New York Liberty's first excursion on Atlantic Avenue since an offseason makeover landed them three undeniable WNBA legends, allowed the team to recover from a dreary debut on Friday night. Brooklyn's newly-minted finest built an early lead on Sunday and never looked back, crushing the Indiana Fever 90-73. 

Stewart, one of the lauded newcomers to the Liberty (1-1) after six seasons and two WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm, stole the show to the tune of 45 points, needing just three periods to set a franchise record for single-game scoring. She almost single-handedly built the Liberty's 27-point halftime lead with 29 (10-of-12 from the field) over the first 20 minutes alone before unwittingly taking aim at the 13-season-old record previously set by Cappie Pondexter (40). 

Stewart also hauled in 12 rebounds, giving her another double-double after getting a dozen points/boards in the 16-point loss in Washington on Friday.

In addition to her historic point tally, Stewart's 15 total successful attempts from the field also set a new Liberty record and she became just the eighth player in WNBA history to earn at least 45 in a single game. Stewart got back on the floor during the middle stages of the fourth quarter in an attempt to become just the third to reach 50 but the experiment was pulled when Indiana came to expect the targeting.

Nonetheless, the 45 points she did earn were the best in WNBA history for a new player making a debut in front of a home crowd.

Stewart was kept well-fed by her fellow newcomer Courtney Vandersloot and returning All-Star Sabrina Ionescu, who dished out eight assists each. Ionescu posted primarily pedestrian numbers had still lingered within striking distance of a triple-double (nine points and eight rebounds as well). 

Jonquel Jones (alongside 11 for Vandersloot) also tallied double-figures for the Liberty, getting 14 on 6-of-10 from the field after getting just five on Friday.

The Fever's primary silver lining was an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double for NaLyssa Smith. Aliyah Boston, the top pick of last month's draft had 15 in her second career contest. Indiana wound up winning the final frame by an 18-5 tally but the Liberty's prior dominance rendered that late deficit mostly irrelevant. With the loss, the Fever wound up making their own brand of WNBA history, albeit one far more dire: in addition to dropping their final 18 from last season, Indiana has now lost 20 consecutive games, tying the Association record set by the 2011 Tulsa Shock. 

New York and Indiana (0-2) will do battle again on July 12 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Liberty now get almost a full week off before returning to Brooklyn hardwood on Saturday afternoon, when a holiday weekend visit from the Connecticut Sun awaits (1 p.m. ET, CBS). 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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