After losing their first three games of this season to the Minnesota Lynx, the team they beat in last year’s WNBA Finals, the New York Liberty won the final meeting of the regular season between the two squads with an 85-75 win on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

All five Liberty starters scored at least 10 points, with center Jonquel Jones leading the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while guard Sabrina Ionescu added 17 points and 11 assists.

“It is nice to finally get a win against them,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said. “I am glad we are past them now. We (can) focus on the next nine games, and it’s all about focusing on us and getting the highest position we can in the standings and getting the home court.”

Five of the Liberty’s remaining nine games will be on the road. They will face the Chicago Sky at home tonight tied with the Atlanta Dream at 22-13 for the second best record in the league behind the Lynx, which were 28-6. The Phoenix Mercury (21-13) and surging Las Vegas Aces (22-14) were breathing down the Liberty’s necks, just a half game behind the Liberty in the sprint to the playoffs.

“We’ve known for a while now that we have another level that we can take it to,” said Liberty center Jonquel Jones, who scored her 4,000th career point on Tuesday, also posting her 100th career double-double. “We have been in close games, not being able to pull them out, but I think what we learned from those games is really going to be vital for us going into the playoffs.”

There is an encouraging development for the Liberty as they try to hold onto the No. 2 spot; their All-Star forward and second leading scorer (18.3 points per game) Breanna Stewart returned to practice this week. The two-time WNBA MVP (2018, 2023) has missed the last 11 games with a bone bruise in her right knee. The Liberty hope that she returns before September.

Stewart has yet to play alongside forward Emma Meesseman, who has performed very well in a Liberty uniform since returning to the WNBA this August. A native of Belgium, the 2025 EuroLeague MVP and 2019 WNBA Finals MVP with the Washington Mystics was playing in Europe for the better part of the last four years.

Since making her Liberty debut on August 3, the 6-4 Meesseman is averaging 15 points and 5.9 rebounds as both a starter and a reserve. When Stewart returns, Meesseman will likely shift to coming off of the bench, backing up both Jones and Stewart.

The Liberty and the Dream meet in Atlanta on Saturday, following New York’s game against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky tonight in Brooklyn. New York then returns home Monday to host the Connecticut Sun.

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