In their first game, with their original starting lineup healthy, the New York Liberty looked to demonstrate how formidable they are to play against at full strength.

They showcased it in a 75-66 victory over the Washington Mystics at Barclays Center, marking their second win in a row.

New York got the lead at the start of the match as Breanna Stewart converted a one-handed finish over Sonia Citron in the post, giving the Liberty a 12-6 lead. This forced a quick timeout from Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson.

Despite Washington’s response, New York continued to maintain its lead.

In the second quarter, a 12-3 run by the Liberty helped them push their lead even further. The exclamation point of this run came from a Stewart block on Shakira Austin at the rim,

Later, the Liberty pushed the pace with Breanna Stewart passing it to
Kennedy Burke for a three-pointer in the left corner.

When halftime came around, New York was in complete control, heading to the locker room with a 41-26 lead.

To start the third quarter, the Mystics would come out firing on all cylinders.

Despite the Liberty throwing a 2-3 zone to start the period, Washington easily picked that apart for an Austin layup. Later, Alysha Clark would hit a three-pointer in the right corner over Sabrina Ionescu’s contest.

Jonquel Jones would fall to the ground, believing she got fouled, leaving New York playing four on five on the other end.

As a result, Sutton made a wide-open three-pointer in transition, forcing Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello to call a timeout.

After the timeout, New York continued to play sluggishly for a few possessions, but they found the spark they desperately needed with a defensive stop, pushing the pace, and Burke was able to run the floor for a layup.

Along with other key moments from Jones and a three-pointer made by Emma Meesseman from the left wing, New York would recapture control of the game, leaving the third quarter with a 61-50 lead.

In the final quarter, the Liberty would turn it up a notch defensively, holding Washington scoreless from the 6:08 mark to the 2:45 mark in this quarter.

Their defensive intensity and Meesseman delivered the dagger, converting a midrange jumper to give New York its largest lead of the game at 73-56.

This gave the Liberty the runway to wrap up the game, eventually winning the contest.

Next up is New York’s regular-season finale against the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena.

They look to close out the regular season on the right note as they head into the postseason to defend their title.