Breanna Stewart made WNBA history on Tuesday night.
Stewart dropped 40 points to lead the New York Liberty past the Dallas Wings 94-93 on Tuesday night in Texas, which marked the team’s seventh-straight win. It also brought Stewart to 885 total points this season, which broke the league’s single-season scoring record.
Stewart broke Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi’s previous record of 861 points, which she scored in the 2006 season in just 34 games. Tuesday night’s game was Stewart’s 38th this season. The WNBA expanded the season to 40 games this year, which is four more than it had last year.
Stewart entered Tuesday’s game averaging a career-high 22.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists this season, her first with the Liberty after spending her first six seasons in the league with the Seattle Storm.
The Liberty held on in the final seconds to sneak out the one-point win on Tuesday. After going back and forth for much of the contest, Stewart was fouled with about 42 seconds left in the game. She put New York back on top with her first free throw, and then got the rebound after missing the second to keep the possession alive. Stewart grabbed one final rebound on the other end to secure the win.
Stewart had 10 rebounds and two assists to go with her 40 points, and she shot 14-of-25 from the field. Betnijah Laney added 22 points, and Courtney Vandersloot finished with 16 points and 10 assists.
Satou Sabally led the Wings with 27 points, four rebounds and four assists. Arike Ogunbowale added 19 points, and Natasha Howard finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Wings, who would have clinched a playoff spot with a win on Tuesday night, have lost two straight.
The Liberty have now won seven straight, and hold a 31-7 record. They sit just one game back from the Las Vegas Aces, though the Liberty hold a five-game lead in the Eastern Conference. They’ll take on the Los Angeles Sparks next on Thursday before wrapping up the regular season on Sunday against the Washington Mystics.
