WNBA fans were unsure how much of Breanna Stewart we would be seeing in Game 2 against the Phoenix Mercury. She suffered a left MCL sprain late during the Liberty's first playoff game. Stewart was in the starting line-up last night with a large electronic knee brace on that injured leg. She had 20 minutes on the court — recording only 6 points.
But Stewie was not the only Liberty player who struggled last night. The Phoenix Mercury defense put on a masterclass -— leading them to an 86-60 win. All of New York's starters were held to under 10 points each. Sabrina Ionescu put up 9, Natasha Cloud recorded 8, Jonquel Jones had 7, and lastly, Leonie Fiebich only put up 2.
The whole game started a little off for New York when Sabrina Ionescu very uncharacteristically missed her first four free-throw attempts. Ionescu has a total free-throw percentage of 91.3 percent for her entire career — last night, she shot 33.3 percent. In fact, the whole team only shot 64.0 percent from the line.
It is safe to say Phoenix came to New York with a mission, and seemingly nothing was going to stop them. Breanna Stewart expressed her frustrations in the post-game presser. She said, "They came in, and they embarrassed us on our own home court... Now we have to go back there for Game 3 - Winner takes all. If we're not ready for that, then we shouldn't be here."
On the other hand, Mercury forward Satou Sabally is confident that Game 3 in Phoenix will be loud, louder than New York. When talking about playing in Phoenix, she said, "It's different. It's different."
The X-Factor is UNMATCHED. Friday can't come soon enough!
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) September 18, 2025
Tickets here! 🎟️ https://t.co/owqmcv4aeW pic.twitter.com/W0LwNltLzc
If the Mercury can play like they did Wednesday night, their fans will have a lot to cheer for. Not only did they shut down all of New York's starters — their stars were on fire. They had five different players in double-figures. Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally both had 15, while Dewanner Bonner scored 14 off the bench. The shots were simply falling for Phoenix in Game 2. In Game 1, the Merc shot 32.5 percent from the floor — last night, they shot 47.9 percent.
While things just got more difficult for the Liberty, I am confident that they are going to Phoenix with a fueled must-win mindset, and we will see their stars turn things up a notch — especially with Stewie still on limited minutes. On the other hand, the Mercury know how powerful their fanbase, the 'X-factor', can be, and I expect them to fully lean into that. We are surely in for an entertaining Game 3 on Friday night.