The New York Liberty have not played well during the second half of the 2025 WNBA season. New York now has a record of 24-16 with just four games to play before the postseason. The Liberty need to get their issues figured out quickly if they want to have success in the playoffs.
New York suffered another loss on Saturday, losing 80-63 against Phoenix.
Liberty star Breanna Stewart did not mince words when talking about that defeat after the game. She gave an honest answer when asked what was said in the locker room after such a sloppy performance.
“I think what was said is, like it's not good enough,” Stewart said on Saturday. “It's not going to cut it, any of the things we've done today.”
Stewy issued a harsh reality check to her teammates after the crushing defeat.
“This is not championship-level basketball at this point and everybody needs to recognize that and understand that we need to get there and that starts with the mindset and then putting it onto the court,” Stewart added.
New York gave up 39 points off turnovers and second-chance opportunities against Phoenix. They floundered during the second half, only managing 24 points against the Mercury's 43.
Stewy had 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists in 27 minutes. She received most of her help from Emma Meesseman (17 points, four rebounds, two assists) and Natasha Cloud (13 points, four rebounds, four assists).
It did not help that Sabrina Ionescu missed yet another game. She was also out of commission against the Mystics on Thursday.
Getting the star point guard back will be essential to the Liberty in the playoffs.
But New York can't just sit back and wait for Ionescu. They need to start playing better right away.
That's what Meesseman declared on Monday amid the team's rough stretch of games.
“I’m just looking at the result, and it’s always a tough game. I feel like we’re making it very hard on ourselves sometimes. So I don’t think we should be too happy with just having a win,” Meesseman said per New York Post's Madeline Kenney. “I’m not going to give grades because it doesn’t matter because I think we can do better.”
If the Liberty don't stem the bleeding quickly, they could be easily picked off in the playoffs.
Next up for the Liberty is a trip to Valhalla to face the Valkyries on Tuesday.
