Breanna Stewart’s 35 points can’t save Liberty in loss to Mercury

Breanna Stewart’s season-high 35-point night wasn’t enough Thursday night as the Liberty fell 89-81 to the Mercury at Barclays Center.

Stewart exploded for 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including a pair of 3s, in the third quarter.

But Stewart and the Liberty ran out of gas in the fourth and suffered their first home loss of the season. 

As much as the loss might sting, the Liberty are far more concerned about Jonquel Jones after she left the game after re-injuring her right ankle on a layup. 

Jones went to the locker room early in the second quarter and never returned to rejoin her teammates on the bench. 

The extent of injury wasn’t immediately known. 

The Liberty trailed by three at halftime.

But the Mercury — who were playing on the second night of a back-to-back — started to unravel after Monique Akoa-Makani was whistled for a tech for hitting the stanchion while celebrating an and-1. 

Coach Nate Tibbetts was also handed a tech for arguing with an official. 

In an instance, the Mercury’s four-point lead was cut in half.

The Liberty went on an 11-1 run that included three straight baskets off Mercury turnovers that gave New York a six-point lead with 4:42 left in the third. 

The Mercury regrouped and got within one of New York by the start of the fourth quarter. 

The Mercury and Liberty exchanged blows, and each team went on mini runs before the Mercury pulled away for good. 

With the Liberty down seven with 4:01 left, Sandy Brondello called a timeout to stop the bleeding. 

But New York couldn’t recover.

After opening the season with nine straight wins, Thursday was the Liberty’s second loss in six days. 

The Liberty (10-2) will pack their bags to hit the road for a 10-day road trip.

New York is set to play in Seattle on Sunday before heading to the Bay.

The defending champions also have stops in Phoenix and Mercury on tap.