Stewart leads Liberty to 89-71 win over Griner-less Mercury

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart rebounded from one of the worst games of her career with a stellar effort, scoring 28 points with 14 rebounds and seven assists to lift the New York Liberty to an 89-71 win over the Phoenix Mercury, who were playing without an injured Brittney Griner. Griner missed her second straight game with a hip injury she suffered against Seattle on Tuesday. The All-Star center received a warm standing ovation from the crowd when a video was played of her at the first timeout. With Griner potentially playing in her first game in New York since returning to the U.S. after being detained for 10 months in Russia last year, the Liberty drew a sellout crowd of 9,278.