Breanna Stewart Walks Through Final Drive as Liberty's Season Ends in Sweep

Breanna Stewart had the ball with New York down 83-81 and 17.7 seconds left Friday night at Barclays Center. She drove on Naz Hillmon and missed a contested layup with nine seconds remaining.

The Atlanta Dream held on for an 85-83 win and a three-game sweep of the WNBA semifinal. The New York Liberty's season is over.

Stewart said the layup needed a little better touch off the backboard.

"We were down two with 17 seconds left," Stewart said. "I wanted to get downhill and get over one of my shoulders. Naz was backing up, and I felt able to elevate and get my head on the rim. I needed a little better touch off the backboard, but those are the positions you want to be in. That's the shot I want to take, and it hurts because you don't always make them."

"My message to the team was that I was proud of the group," Stewart continued. "There was a lot going on — highs and lows, injuries, and everything else — but we stayed together and connected. Everybody showed up, was professional, and fought together. Don't forget what we were able to do. Every year is hard, and this year was a different type of hard."

Stewart finished with 26 points, four rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. She went 6-of-15 from the field and 13-of-13 at the free-throw line. Ten of her points came in the paint.

Jonquel Jones also scored 26 and grabbed 14 rebounds, six of them on the offensive glass.

New York made 15 of 19 attempts at the rim Friday. Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said Stewart's drive produced the kind of look New York wanted.

"She got downhill," DeMarco said. "I thought it was a good look. We'll do that every single time. And what a winner she is — competitor and just unbelievable, unbelievable."

In Game 2 on Wednesday, Stewart scored 35 points on 11-of-21 shooting, with 25 of them before halftime, and added 11 rebounds and six assists.

Her 32-foot 3-pointer at the end of overtime missed with 1.1 seconds left in a 101-98 loss, and she questioned the reset timeout confusion afterward.

New York committed 11 turnovers Friday after committing 17 in Game 2. Stewart said the Liberty handled that part of the game well enough to give themselves a chance.

"We were happy with our looks and got a lot of good ones," Stewart explained. "I missed a bunny to tie the game, which really sucks. We continued to stay connected, knowing we had good shots at the rim, trying to get rebounds and get out. We handled the turnovers pretty well today, but Atlanta is a tough team. Tons of credit to them for making it difficult every night, and we wish them the best in the finals."

"During the final seconds, there was a little disbelief," Stewart added. "We believed in our group and our fight, and expected to force it to five and return to Atlanta for an opportunity to go back to the finals. It's a tough pill to swallow. We know how talented we are, but we fell short this year."

The Liberty went more than six minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter after leading by four early in the period. They scored 15 points in the quarter.

Satou Sabally missed the series with a head injury. Sabrina Ionescu began her season weeks late, debuting against Dallas, then scored 27 points in Game 1 of the semifinals and 12 on Friday, all of them on 3-pointers.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, with the Liberty since 2021, was waived in August and claimed by Washington.

Stewart averaged 20.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists during the regular season.

She scored 34 points in Game 1 of New York's first-round series against top-seeded Minnesota, which the Liberty swept.

DeMarco, in his first season coaching Stewart, said she commands the Liberty's huddles.

"There's an incredible level of comfort when you know a player like that is on your team and is going to bring that mindset every game," DeMarco explained. "The way she looks you in the eye, commands the huddles, and strikes fear in opponents — all of that makes her a big-time player. I can't say enough good things about her."

Stewart, who joined the Liberty in 2023, is a two-time league MVP and has won three championships, two with Seattle and one with New York in 2024.

New York finished 26-18 and entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. After sweeping Minnesota, the Liberty lost three straight to Atlanta, the last two by a combined five points.