Sloppy Liberty drop Game 2 to Mercury to push season to brink

Something that had become so valuable to the Liberty didn’t shape up when it mattered most on Wednesday night.

Despite early concerns that the Liberty wouldn’t have their full roster available for Game 2, they did.

Breanna Stewart, with a sprained MCL in her left knee, was on the Barclays Center court as the Liberty had the chance to close out the first-round series over the Mercury and punch their ticket to the semifinals.

Yet it wasn’t enough. 

The two-time MVP’s 20 minutes and presence defensively only went so far, as the sloppy play that the Liberty displayed to cost them an 86-60 Game 2 loss to Phoenix, disappointing their home crowd in their only guaranteed home playoff game of 2025.

The Liberty are now forced into a Game 3 on Friday in Phoenix, where their season and title defense will be on the line. 

By the fourth quarter, the Liberty were surrendering, subbing in their not-yet-used reserves.

After only scoring 10 points in the third quarter and the Mercury leading by a whopping 22, their hand was forced.

In some cases, the Liberty couldn’t get a bounce on the rim. In others, shots were simply awry. They went 5-for-31 from the field and 2-for-14 from beyond the arc combined across the second and third quarter. 

Additionally, their 15 turnovers led to 25 points for Phoenix.

It was quite the sight to wash over Brooklyn, as the crowd watched what could be the final image of this Liberty team and era before the offseason madness ensues with two expansion teams and a new CBA on the horizon.

Stewart scored just six points, but that only came five points behind the leading team scorer, Emma Meesseman (11). Sabrina Ionescu went 3-for-13, including a dismal 1-for-8 from deep. 

Phoenix dominated the paint, scoring 38 to the Liberty’s 22, and it held the edge with fast break points (20). The Mercury shared the wealth offensively with Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally leading the team with 15 points, followed by Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner, who both had 14.

The first quarter came and went as expected, a shootout that ended the frame in a 25-25 tie. It felt like it would carry on to be similar to the Game 1 overtime thriller.

The second quarter, however, saw the Liberty grow increasingly rattled.

Just over halfway through the quarter, the Mercury went on a 7-0 run to take the biggest lead of the game at that point, 41-30, due to messy handles, awry shots, and missed routine chances.

The Liberty went scoreless for over five minutes while Natasha Cloud received her third foul in the second quarter, leaving the energy in the building to turn sour. It all gave the Mercury a 19-point lead at the half.