New York – Liberty Breanna Stewart’s star, wearing a scope on her injured left knee, started in match 2 in the New York WNBA eliminatory series against the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday evening.
Stewart was in his usual starting point, but finished with only six points in 20 minutes. The Mercury won in a rout, 86-60, to return the series to Phoenix for a decisive match 3 Friday evening.
Stewart was injured in the knee in match 1 on Sunday and said on Wednesday that an MRI revealed an MCL sprain. She told Holly Rowe d’Espn that she planned to play as much as she could depending on pain tolerance.
“They told me that structurally, everything looks correct,” said Stewart during Wednesday morning shooting at Barclays Center. “So my plan is to leave.”
Stewart has undergone a high-speed pre-match heating and was evaluated by medical staff, Rowe reported.
During the overtime of match 1, Stewart was crushed on the ground and caught his left knee. She left the match with 2:07 to play and did not come back.
“What I felt in the moment scared me more than anything,” said the double MVP of the WNBA. “I am very happy to have recovered my MRI results and know that this is something I can play.”
Stewart leads freedom in points per game (18.3), blocks per game (1.4) and flights per game (1.4). She is second in rebound with 6.6 per game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
