Liberty's Stewart reached this milestone in win vs. Dream

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Liberty's Breanna Stewart reached this milestone in win vs. Dream

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jun 30, 2024 5:15 PM ET

On Sunday, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart further cemented her legacy as one of the best players in WNBA history.

According to the Associated Press, Stewart scored her 5,000th career point in her 242nd game, becoming the fastest player to reach this milestone. Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi — the WNBA's all-time leading scorer (10,388 points) — scored her 5,000th in 243 games.

More importantly, Stewart helped the Liberty mount a comeback in an 81-75 victory over the Atlanta Dream.

The Liberty trailed 31-15 in the second quarter, and Stewart was cold, missing six of her first seven shots. However, she would hit four of her next five, helping New York cut the lead to 41-36 before halftime.

The five-time All-Star finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals on 7-of-17 shooting.

A double-double performance by Breanna Stewart helped her team battle back from 16 down to defeat the Atlanta Dream, 81-75

Final Stats: 22 PTS, 12 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/pIILDGslXC
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 30, 2024

"We continued to compete, playing our style of basketball," Stewart said of the comeback, via the Associated Press. "We had some off days we weren't used to and had to get the rhythm back."

The Liberty hadn't played since losing to the Minnesota Lynx 94-89 in the Commissioner's Cup Championship on Tuesday, which may explain the rust.

Regardless, Stewart has shown why she could win her third MVP this season. Entering the matchup vs. the Dream, she ranked sixth in the league in points per game (19.7) and ninth in rebounds per game (8.6).

Stewart's stellar play could help the Liberty rebound from losing to the Las Vegas Aces in the 2023 WNBA Finals and win the championship this season. New York (16-3) is first in the Eastern Conference, and ESPN's Basketball Power Index gives it the best chance (40.7%) to win the title.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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