New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart scored 23 points in the second half of a win over the Dallas Wings on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas. Photo by Brandon Todd/New York Liberty
Breanna Stewart poured in 40 points and totaled 10 rebounds to lead the New York Liberty to its seventh-consecutive win, while breaking WNBA legend Diana Taurasi’s single-season scoring record in the process.
Stewart made 14 of 25 shots, including a trio of 3-pointers, in the 94-93 victory over the Dallas Wings on Tuesday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. Her free throw with 42 seconds remaining gave the Liberty a final advantage. Advertisement
“I have this back-and-forth with the scoring record, because any time I’m in the same limelight as ‘D’ [Taurasi], it’s amazing because of what she has done through her career and what she continues to do,” Stewart told reporters.
Stewart scored 23 points in the second half, including 14 in the third quarter. She passed Taurasi’s record with her 16th point of the night, which came on a second-quarter free throw. Stewart pushed her season total to 885 points, 25 more than Taurasi’s record mark from 2006.
The WNBA played a 34-game regular season when Taurasi set the points record. The league implemented a 36-game schedule in 2022 and 40-game schedule this season. Advertisement
Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd and Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson scored 852 and 846 points, respectively, this season, and also could soon pass Taurasi’s 2006 mark. Lloyd leads the league with 24.3 points per game this season. Stewart (23.3) and Wilson (22.3) rank second and third, respectively.
“For me, she’s the MVP,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said of Stewart’s placement in the award race. “She put 40 and 10 up [Tuesday], but it’s not just the scoring and the rebounding. It’s the impact she has on every player in this organization.
“It’s her leadership, how she’s got the will to win and how she can pull people along with her.”
The Liberty (31-7) sit in second place, one game behind the first place Aces (32-6). The Liberty will host the Los Angeles Sparks (16-22) at 7 p.m. EDT Thursday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Stewart will lead her team against the Washington Mystics (18-20) in the regular-season finale Sunday in Brooklyn. The WNBA playoffs start Sept. 13.
