Liberty Reach WNBA Milestone in Latest Win
UNCASVILLE—Five (hundred) from New York, it's the New York Liberty.
With an 87-7 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday afternoon at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Liberty joined an exclusive WNBA sisterhood, as the triumph was their 500th in the regular season. New York is the fourth franchise in WNBA history to reach that plateau, joining Los Angeles (542), Minnesota (506), and Connecticut (504, counting their wins under their original identity of the Orlando Miracle).
A good number of those wins have come over the last three seasons, which saw undeniable league legends Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart join the cause with homegrown All-Star Sabrina Ionescu. That triumvirate and more has amassed an 82-26 regular season record and, of course, the Liberty's first postseason championship, which was earned against the Minnesota Lynx last fall.
Though Stewart missed the fateful triumph with a leg injury, Ionescu and Jones played major roles in the win, respectively leading the way with 36 and 21 points, the former getting stopped one point short of her career-high. It ended a four-game losing streak for New York, which currently places second on the WNBA playoff bracket in its first championship defense.
Sunday also featured the Liberty debut of Emma Meesseman, a touted international free agent who took over Stewart's spot in the starting lineup and scored 11 points, all in the second half, with three assists in her first WNBA showing since 2022.
The Liberty's original win was earned in the very first game in WNBA history, as Rebecca Lobo and Teresa Weatherspoon downed Lisa Leslie and the Los Angeles Sparks 67-57 at the Great Western Forum in June 1997.
New York's first chance to go for win No. 501 lands on Tuesday night when they briefly return home to face the Dallas Wings (7 p.m. ET, My9).
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.