Liberty Take OT Win at Washington in First Road Test
Published on May 10, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
New York Liberty News Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The New York Liberty (2-0) earned an overtime win on the road against the Washington Mystics (1-1), 98-93. Marine Johannès led the Liberty with a career-high 25 points while shooting 53.3 percent (8-for-15) from the field and 46.2 percent (6-for-13) from deep and matching her career high with six made 3-pointers. Johannès set a Liberty franchise record with 11 3-pointers made in her first two games of the season and became the second player in WNBA history to begin a season with consecutive games of five or more made 3-pointers. She also added a pair of steals to join Sugar Rodgers as the only players in franchise history to begin a season with consecutive games of at least 17 points and two steals.
Breanna Stewart put up 23 points with nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a pair of blocks as she became the first player in franchise history, and just the seventh in WNBA history, to begin a season with back-to-back games of at least 20 points and four stocks (steals + blocks). Stewart also passed Crystal Robinson (2,301 points) for sixth on the Liberty's franchise scoring list and made her 150th 3-pointer with New York to become the first player in franchise history with at least 150 3-pointers and 150 blocks in a Liberty uniform.
Pauline Astier finished with 18 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals while shooting 60 percent (6-for-10) from the field as she joined Candace Parker and Paige Bueckers as the only rookies in WNBA history to record such a stat line. Astier also joined Sabrina Ionescu as the fastest Liberty rookies to record at least 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds in a single game, as both guards did so in the second game of their respective careers. The rookie guard became the fourth player in WNBA history to begin her career with consecutive games of at least four assists while shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
Jonquel Jones added 13 points and eight rebounds with two assists and a block while passing Janel McCarville for 14th on the Liberty's franchise scoring list with 1,452 points. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton knocked down a pair of go-ahead free throws with 30 seconds remaining in overtime to pass Sugar Rodgers for 12th on the Liberty's franchise scoring list with 1,494 points. Rebekah Gardner paced the Liberty's reserves with nine points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench while shooting 80 percent (4-for-5) from the field.
The Liberty went on a 10-2 run from 7:47 to 5:18 in the first quarter and shot 50 percent (9-for-18) from the field in the first, but Washington closed the quarter on a 23-9 run to take a 31-24 lead. The Liberty went on a 21-4 run from 8:32 to 3:57 in the second quarter and scored 11 points off Washington's turnovers while holding the Mystics without a single fast-break point in the first half to take a 55-48 lead into the break. The Liberty shot 59.4 percent (19-for-32) from the field in the first half at Washington, which would have ranked as the Liberty's third-highest field-goal percentage in any half last season and is the second-best field-goal percentage by any team in a single half so far in 2026.
New York got off to a strong start in the third and led by as many as 12 points before the Mystics battled back with a 17-8 run to make it a one-possession game entering the fourth quarter. Both teams traded the advantage in the fourth quarter, with four lead changes and five ties in the period. Breanna Stewart hit a go-ahead shot with 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter before Washington tied the game with 16 seconds left to send it into overtime. The Liberty took control in the extra period, holding the Mystics without a made field goal for the first 3:20 of overtime and forcing three Washington turnovers to secure a 98-93 win. This was New York's first overtime win in the regular season since the 2023 season.
LIBERTY 98 | MYSTICS 93 (OT)
NEW YORK (2-0) | WASHINGTON (1-1)
May 10, 2026
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE | GAME PHOTOS
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT1 FINAL
LIBERTY 24 31 17 13 13 98
MYSTICS 31 17 21 16 8 93
GAME LEADERS NEW YORK WASHINGTON
POINTS Johannès (25) Iriafen (20)
REBOUNDS Stewart (9) Iriafen (12)
ASSISTS Astier (7) Amoore (7)
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