The New York Liberty almost scrambled a huge lead but recovered just in time to escape the Las Vegas Aces, 75-71, on Sept. 8 for their eighth win in 10 games.
The Liberty were up by as much as 20 points, but the Aces, playing without injured star A’ja Wilson, kept coming. Las Vegas even wrested the lead in the final two minutes before the Liberty answered to stymie the late surge.
Stewart had 21 points, 11 rebounds, and the crucial block that preserved the win to spearhead the Liberty, who improved to 29-6 and are just three wins away from locking up the top seed in the playoffs.
While the victory was a sigh of relief, the reigning MVP remained realistic.
“We’re happy that we’re going away with the win, but we were up 20 at one point,” Stewart said in a report from the Associated Press . “Make sure whenever you’re on the court, you have a purpose.
“This is the defending champs. Whether A’ja is on the court or not, they’re trying to win.”
Wilson was out of commission with a right ankle injury she suffered in their previous game against the Connecticut Sun. She had not missed a game since August 2019.