By Jedd Pagaduan

Copyright clutchpoints

The New York Liberty will not be repeating as WNBA champion after seeing their season come to a disappointing end on Friday night following a 79-73 defeat against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of their first-round matchup.

While the Liberty did not have the best of regular seasons, they were still viewed by many as a legitimate title-contender. But instead, their championship dreams were dashed rather abruptly, putting the futures of Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, both free agents at season’s end, with the team in doubt.

Nonetheless, Stewart made a definitive statement immediately after the Liberty’s heartbreaking defeat that will be music to fans’ ears.

“I’m coming back,” Stewart said, per Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports.

Stewart is only 31 years of age and it’s clear that she’s still in her prime. In the Liberty’s loss to the Mercury, Stewart gave it her all, scoring 30 points on 8-17 shooting from the field while recording nine rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. She was fighting with all she got, dropping 14 points in the fourth quarter as she attempted to will New York into victory lane.

Alas, despite Stewart’s best efforts, the Liberty came up short as they couldn’t come up with the big plays that were necessary to overcome the Mercury on the road. Jonquel Jones went 1-10 from the field and missed some big shots towards the end of the fourth quarter. Moreover, Ionescu went invisible in the fourth, turning the ball over twice and missing both of her shots from beyond the arc.

This Liberty squad is still very talented, but circumstances haven’t been very favorable for them this year. Stewart certainly believes in the squad she’s with if she’s decided this early on that she’ll be running it back with New York in 2026.

Liberty miss opportunity to repeat as WNBA champion

It speaks volumes to how talented the WNBA has become that the Liberty, despite having a stacked roster, couldn’t make it past the Mercury in the first round of the playoffs. Phoenix has also assembled an impressive core, with Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally, and Kahleah Copper getting it done and eliminating the reigning champion.

As for Stewart, she might be in the tail-end of her prime, but she is still the Liberty’s best player. New York went 22-9 with her in the lineup in the regular season and 5-8 with her on the mend. Had she been healthy, perhaps New York would have earned a higher seed, and therefore gotten an easier draw in the first round in addition to homecourt advantage.