Breanna Stewart leads New York Liberty to 106-75 blowout of Connecticut Sun in season opener
NEW YORK — The Connecticut Sun hoped this season would be different from its dismal record in 2025, but the team’s performance in its 2026 opener against the New York Liberty felt painfully familiar. The Sun never had a chance after an 8-0 run by New York forced Sun coach Rachid Meziane to burn a timeout barely two minutes into the game, and the brief reset did nothing to slow the Liberty’s momentum fueled by the electric energy of a packed crowd at Barclays Center. Connecticut was down 20 points before the end of the first quarter, and New York never looked back in its 106-75 blowout win.
UConn legend Breanna Stewart defended her home court in dominant fashion, leading the Liberty with 31 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in the blowout victory. French guard Marine Johannes was equally unstoppable, knocking down five 3-pointers to finish with 17 points on top of five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Forward Diamond Miller was one of the few bright spots for the Sun, leading the team with 16 points, shooting 6-for-16 from the field.
Superstar center Brittney Griner struggled to get going against the Liberty’s loaded frontcourt, finishing with 13 points and six rebounds in her Connecticut debut. The Sun’s inexperience was at the root of its disastrous first-quarter showing, its young players visibly out of sorts against a New York roster loaded with perennial All-Stars and WNBA champions. Connecticut gave up 10 points off of five turnovers in the opening quarter, and they were a step behind the Liberty at every turn getting outscored 12-0 on fast-break opportunities.
Meziane threw his trio of rookies into the deep end against New York, running a lineup with all three players on the court for extended stretches in the first quarter. Guards Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gianna Kneepkens both experienced their ‘Welcome to the league’ moments before halftime. Leger-Walker’s came in the first quarter when she went up for a layup that never had a chance of making it to the rim before 6-foot-6 former MVP Jonquel Jones blocked it from behind.
Kneepkens struggled with the Liberty’s pace on the defensive end and wound up seated on the court after a crossover move by All-Star Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. Kneepkens had a resilient response on the offensive end, bringing down an offensive rebound and getting the ball out to point guard Hailey Van Lith, who fed it back to her in the corner for her first official points as a WNBA player on a 3-pointer. It was the first outside shot the Sun made in the game after beginning 0-for-5.