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SEATTLE — With the Liberty coming off back-to-back disappointments to start this road trip, Breanna Stewart talked about Friday’s game against the Storm being a must-win game.
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She turned those words into actions and led the Liberty to a gritty 84-76 win.
Stewart didn’t buckle despite a slow and perhaps even frustrating start. Ultimately, the maestro stepped up and choreographed a memorable fourth-quarter performance when her teammates needed her the most.
Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty drives to the basket during the game against the Seattle Storm on September 5, 2025 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. NBAE via Getty Images
Stewart scored 13 of her 24 points in the fourth. She also blocked three shots in the final 10 minutes.
Stewart finished with seven rebounds, four assists and a season-high five blocks. She helped delay the Storm’s hopes of clinching a postseason spot for at least another day.
“I just wanted to do whatever I could for the team and whether we make mistakes or not, having a turnover or missing a shot, really the ability to just get back on defense,” Stewart said. “Seattle is a great team, and they played really well together, but we were trying to show a lot of congestion, so just helped my teammates wherever I could.”
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Friday was one of those trademark Stewart performances that her teammates say they never get tired of witnessing.
“She’s such a huge piece of our team,” Kennedy Burke said. “And we’re just happy that she’s back and being the great Stewie that she is.”
Natasha Cloud of the New York Liberty handles the ball during the game against the Seattle Storm on September 5, 2025 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington NBAE via Getty Images
Stewart set the tone on defense, which flowed into the team’s offense.
“That’s what we preach about all the time — that’s our biggest thing. When we’re getting stops on defense, then the offense just comes easy, so the fact that she was able to get those stops on the defensive end, like, offense comes really easy because we were attacking the basket. We were sharing the ball.”
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Nothing about Friday’s victory was easy for the Liberty.
Then again, they seem to like making things difficult on themselves this season.
Leonie Fiebich of the New York Liberty drives to the basket during the game against the Seattle Storm on September 5, 2025 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. NBAE via Getty Images
Leonie Fiebich scored 21 points, and Kennedy Burke added 13 points off the bench.
The Liberty and Storm exchanged blows for most of the night. The Liberty suffered another frustrating second-quarter collapse — though this one not nearly as egregious as Tuesday’s when they scored a measly eight points in 10 minutes.
Although the Liberty led by six points Friday after the first quarter, they were outscored 31-17 in the next frame and trailed by seven at halftime.
Jonquel Jones finding herself in foul trouble didn’t help their cause. She got whistled for her fourth foul 56 seconds into the second half and sat the rest of the third.
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The Liberty already had spacing issues without Sabrina Ionescu — ruled out before the game due to a lingering toe injury — but Jones’ foul-related absence made it hard for them to attack inside.
The game began to open up once Burke started to get downhill in the third. Gradually, she helped lead the Liberty charge back into the game.
Kennedy Burke of the New York Liberty drives to the basket during the game against the Seattle Storm on September 5, 2025 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. NBAE via Getty Images
They started to close in on the Storm late in the third, using a 9-2 run to trim the deficit to one entering the fourth.
That’s when the Liberty started to feel it.
Burke made the go-ahead layup. Natasha Cloud drained a 3. The Liberty’s confidence grew with every possession.
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Stewart went off on defense, swatting her opponents’ shots away like a bully.
Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty drives to the basket during the game against the Seattle Storm on September 5, 2025 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. NBAE via Getty Images
The Storm kept fighting. With 3:21 left, perennial All-Star Nneka Ogwumike made a shot around Stewart to make it a two-point game.
Stewart got to the free-throw line four times during the final minute to help keep the Storm at bay.
It was the right way to end what had been an otherwise disappointing road trip.
The Liberty (25-17) had hoped this three-game West Coast swing could build momentum for the playoffs. Instead, they dropped back-to-back games in Phoenix and San Francisco before managing to salvage the trip Friday.
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“We needed it, but obviously, it’s hardest to win the last one on the road, especially going down 0-2,” Stewart said. “So, just happy with the team and the way that we changed the narrative a little bit, flip the script and focus on controlling what we could control and that was the scene, and then we’ll have some time to practice, and we’ll get two more games next week and get ready for the playoffs.”
