The New York Liberty started out the 2026 WNBA season with a historic night from Breanna Stewart.
Stewart helped the Liberty claim a dominant win over the Connecticut Sun as part of Friday night’s season-opening triple-header.
One of the WNBA’s newest teams later made their league debut as the Toronto Tempo took on the visiting Washington Mystics.
The night was capped off by a West Coast battle between the Golden State Valkyries and the Seattle Storm.
Here’s a look at the final scores along with the top highlights and reactions from tonight’s slate of WNBA action.
Friday Schedule and Results
New York Liberty 106, Connecticut Sun 75
Washington Mystics 68, Toronto Tempo 65
Golden State Valkyries 91, Seattle Storm 80
The New York Liberty started out Chris DeMarco’s first season as head coach strong with one of the most dominant first halves in recent WNBA history.
The Liberty scored 66 points through two quarters despite fielding just nine players while missing Sabrina Ionescu, Rebecca Allen and Satou Sabally to injury.
The Liberty’s hot start was driven in large part by Breanna Stewart, who contributed 21 points and seven rebounds in the first half.
That stretch saw Stewart become the second-fastest player in WNBA history to record 6,000 career points.
Stewart went on to finish out the game with 31 points and 10 rebounds for her 16th career double-double.
One of the Liberty’s most effective players was Julie Vanloo, who the team announced Friday morning had been signed to a hardship contract amid the team’s mounting injuries.
Vanloo came off the bench to contribute 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in 22 minutes on the court.
Marine Johannès contributed 17 points after shooting 5-for-9 from behind the arc.
Diamond Miller led the Sun with 16 points in the loss. The Liberty closed out the game having outshot the Sun 52.2 to 38.6 percent from the field.
The first game in Tempo history came down to the wire.
The Tempo led by one point with just over 30 seconds left on the clock before four Shakira Austin free throws made the different in the Mystics’ Friday night win.
The Mystics led the Tempo by seven points at the half thanks to a combined 19 points from Austin and Sonia Citron.
Citron went on to lead the Mystics with 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 shooting from deep while also dominating on defense.
Austin finished out the game with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Kiki Iriafen added 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Marina Mabrey led the Tempo with 27 points, including the free throw that gave the home team the late lead.
Brittney Sykes added 14 points in the loss, during which the Tempo were outshot 39 to 27 percent from the field.
The Valkyries secured a blowout win Friday night despite finishing the game with just eight players due to multiple injuries.
Fans were impressed by the shorthanded team starting out the season with a dominant win.
The Storm started out the night with a strong first quarter during which the home team finished leading 17-3.
The Valkyries grabbed back an eight-point lead after two quarters by forcing 10 turnovers while committing four.
Golden State took control of the game in the third quarter, during which the Valkyries outscored the home team 28-12.
Janelle Salaun led the Valkyries with 20 points in the win, while Veronica Burton contributed 16 points and Kayla Thornton added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Gabby Williams and Kaitlyn Chen both impressed in depth roles, with Williams contributing seven points, six rebounds and four assists while Chen added 14 points.
Dominique Malonga led the Storm with 21 points and eight rebounds in the loss, while Zia Cooke contributed 15 points. The Storm closed out the game having committed 14 turnovers to the Valkyries’ nine.
The Valkyries will be left waiting for injury updates after seeing both Tiffany Hayes and Cecilia Zandalasini exit Friday’s game.
ESPN’s Kendra Andrews reported that Hayes, who injured her left pinky, and Zandalasini, who injured her jaw, were set to undergo further evaluation.
