Going into Tuesday’s WNBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the 12-6 New York Liberty had lost four out of their five previous games, with the team’s only win having been on June 23 against the Las Vegas Aces on the road, the reigning WNBA champions and their Commissioner’s Cup opponent.
The Liberty got the best of the Aces again in the rematch. Sabrina Ionescu scored a season-high 26 points, dished out five assists, and grabbed five rebounds, while Breanna Stewart added 25 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists in the 93-85 win.
“(You) being aggressive and really just making the right plays — I mean, I feel like you only have five assists, but I feel like you had like 10, but probably all five of those are to me, so shout out to you,” Stewart said to Ionescu and the media after the win. “When you’re coming back from an injury, it’s tough. The process is tough, the mental is tough, and she continues to stick with it.
“I think that obviously, her being aggressive and making those threes and that dagger three, especially our big moments — we need that … for her confidence to continue to … ride along — I’m really happy for her.”
The Liberty became the first team to claim the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup championship twice in its six-year history after winning in 2023.
“For our team to win, for this to be our second one, it’s really special to do it in Barclays with our fans — [we’re] really celebrating that,” Stewart said when asked about winning her second Commissioner’s Cup championship with New York.
The team won the cup three years ago in Las Vegas and lost the 2024 championship at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. Stewart also won the first-ever cup in 2021 when she was with the Seattle Storm and has personally won three of the six total. The Cup championship game is not included in the team’s regular season record.
