Liberty Fall at Home to Portland
Published on May 26, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
New York Liberty News Release
NEW YORK - The New York Liberty (3-4) lost in a tight matchup against the Portland Fire (4-3), 81-74.
Breanna Stewart led the Liberty with 25 points while shooting 66.7 percent (2-for-3) from deep and tying her career high in free throws made, shooting 15-for-17 from the line. Stewart passed Tina Charles and Janel McCarville on the Liberty's all-time steals list and currently sits in 12th with 173 steals in a Liberty uniform. Stewart has now recorded at least 14 points and seven rebounds in each of her first seven games, the fifth-longest such streak to begin a season in WNBA history.
Jonquel Jones recorded a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds to go with four assists and four blocks, her highest single-game block total since May 22, 2025. Jones also added four blocks for her eighth career game with a double-double and at least four blocks, which is the ninth-most such games in WNBA history.
Marine Johannes put up 17 points and six assists while shooting 50 percent (6-for-12) from the field and 55.6 percent (5-for-9) from behind the arc. Johannes has hit 20 3-pointers through the first seven games of the season, setting a career high for her most 3-pointers made across the first seven games of a season (20). The sharpshooting guard connected on five 3-pointers for the third time in her first seven games of 2026, already marking her most such games in a single season since 2022.
Han Xu paced the Liberty's reserves with eight points on 80 percent (4-for-5) shooting from the field with two assists, two steals and a block in 16 minutes. Han's two steals match her career high, and she has now made at least one field goal in four consecutive games to tie the longest such streak of her career.
Portland went on an 8-0 run in the first before the Liberty closed the period on a 9-3 run to cut the deficit to a single point after the first, 19-18. New York trailed 35-33 at halftime despite holding the Fire to just 34.2 percent (13-for-38) shooting from the field and 26.7 percent (4-for-15) shooting from deep in the first half.
Stewart scored 10 points in the third quarter, and the Liberty went on a 14-6 run from 7:46 to 2:09 while limiting the Fire to 35.3 percent (6-for-17) shooting from the field to retake the lead. The Liberty entered the fourth with a 57-49 advantage, but Portland held on for an 81-74 win despite a Johannès 3-pointer with 11.4 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to three. The Liberty blocked the Fire four times in the fourth quarter alone, the highest blocks total for New York in a quarter since July 25, 2025.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from May 26, 2026
- Valkyries Postgame Notes: Golden State 97, Connecticut 70 - Golden State Valkyries
- Sun Falls 97-70 to Valkyries on Monday Night - Connecticut Sun
- Liberty Fall at Home to Portland - New York Liberty
- Valkyries Set Season-High in Bench Scoring, Justė Jocytė Debuts in Win over Sun - Golden State Valkyries
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
