Off to a roaring start. The New York Liberty kicked off the WNBA season with a dominant, 106-75 win against the Connecticut Sun on Friday night. New York left Barclays Center on a high and will be out of the town for the week before coming home to start a seven game homestand.
The opponent tonight is young and looking to find a new path forward. The Washington Mystics are overflowing with young talent and are hoping they are a major player in the 2030s and beyond. Washington got their season off to a good
start with a close road win against the Toronto Tempo on Friday night.
Where to follow the game
My9 for locals. NBA League Pass for out of towners. Liberty Live on streaming. Tip after 3;00 p.m. ET. That’s right, the same time as the NBA Lottery on ESPN.
Injuries
No Sabrina Ionescu, Rebecca Allen, Satou Sabally, Leonie Fiebich, or Raquel Carrera.
Cotie Mcmahon is out with a partial UCL tear in her left elbow. Michaela Onyenwere is out with a left knee injury. Alicia Flórez is out for personal reasons.
The game
Julie Vanloo stole the show on Friday night as her near triple-double powered the Liberty bench and gave the sold out Barclays Center crowd plenty to cheer for. Julie came in on a redeye and thankfully, she’s gotten some better sleep in the past few days. She took time to chat with media in postgame, and her entire session is worth listening to and watching:
The grind of a professional basketball player is a tough one, which makes the victories all the sweeter.
Defensively for New York, they’ll be tasked with slowing down Sonia Citron. Citron was exceptional in 2025 as she played in all 44 games and shot close to 45 percent from three point range. For New York, they’ll look to chase her off the three point line and force her into tough long midrange twos. If they can, they’ll be able to limit her effectiveness somewhat.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s return was a welcome sight. Her all around game is much needed on the perimeter and her role as another ballhandler will keep things steady while Ionescu recovers. Laney-Hamilton gives the team scoring from all three levels and a steady hand that can make something happen at a moment’s notice.
The center matchup should be a fun one. Shakira Austin as been in the league for five seasons and at just 25 years old, still has plenty of room to get better. She’ll be tasked with slowing Jonquel Jones down this afternoon. Like a lot of players, JJ had her frustrations dealing with the referees on Friday night. Fortunately, she was able to contribute and fill the stat sheet even without a monster scoring performance. Chris DeMarco has spoken about showcasing all of Jones’ skills, and seeing her make things happen as a handler on pick and rolls is a fun bit of business.
Player to watch: Kiki Iriafen
The Mystics will be led into the future by their fantastic forward. Iriafen has gotten off to a great start in her WNBA career and was fifth in double-doubles last season. Kiki was sixth in the W in shots inside the restricted area last year and shot a more than respectable 63.6 percent on those shots. She gets better by the day and as Mystics management try to figure out who will lead the team, at least they know they have a solid building block in Iriafen.
Breanna Stewart is fully back in the swing of things. Stewie led all players in scoring with 31 points as she consistently lived in the paint and took advantage of the Sun defense. All but one of Stewart’s makes came from the painted area, and when she’s on the move, she’s unstoppable. In postgame, the players noted that their spacing principles and the offense aren’t all the way locked in quite yet, but they’re off to a good start so far. As they get more comfortable and more of their key players return, the early success will serve as a springboard to something even greater.
From the Vault
Ones in the air for Bobby Cox
And ones in the air for Ted Turner
More reading: Bullets Forever, Swish Appeal, Breakaway, SB Nation, Women’s Basketball Roundup, The Local W, New York Daily News, No Cap Space, New York Post, Newsday, The Athletic, NY Liberty Fan TV, Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, Yahoo Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, and The IX Basketball
- New York Liberty Game Notes – New York Liberty
- Washington Mystics Game Notes – Washington Mystics
- Breanna Stewart’s dominant showing sets an elite standard for Liberty to follow – Madeline Kenney – New York Post
