Breanna Stewart will have Liberty ready for Fire rematch

Shorthanded and still stinging from a last-second loss at expansion Portland, the New York Liberty will be out for revenge in Thursday’s rematch.

And Breanna Stewart is eager to lead them back into the win column.

“When we have the lead, knowing that the other team is going to come out and punch first. That’s on me,” Stewart insisted following Tuesday’s heartbreaking 98-96 loss that dropped the Liberty out of the ranks of the unbeaten and handed the Fire the first win in franchise history.

“I’ll get the rest of the group ready to go,” she added.

So will New York coach Chris DeMarco, who felt the agony of defeat for the first time in three games since assuming the helm.

The Liberty (2-1) led by as many as 13 points in the first half and carried an eight-point cushion in the fourth quarter before Portland began reeling them in.

Bridget Carleton’s 3-point shooting – five of her nine made field goals were from beyond the arc – spearheaded the Fire (1-1) to a 45% long-range performance.

But the unkindest cut of all came when Carleton’s bid for a game-winning 3-ball bounded into the hands of Sarah Ashlee Barker’s putback before the final buzzer, forever posterizing Stewart and the Liberty as the first victims of Portland’s newest team.

“It’s very special and something that I always remember, but I think the thing that I’ll remember the most is how much we had each other’s backs in this moment,” said Barker.

Stewart put up 16 points and ripped down 10 rebounds in the loss, which was New York’s first since it was eliminated in the opening round of last year’s playoffs by Phoenix in a decisive Game 3.

That defeat sent former coach Sandy Brondello packing to Toronto, where she is leading the first-year Tempo as the WNBA’s first international franchise.

Also, it prompted Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb to bring in three-time All-Star forward Satou Sabally from the Mercury’s roster.

Sabally is still ramping up to full participation level, and New York remains without four-time All-Star guard Sabrina Ionescu for the finale of this two-game set.

Stewart went 4-of-12 from the field Tuesday, missing both of her 3-balls and committing a pair of the Liberty’s 18 turnovers, resulting in 25 points for the Fire.

“And, you know, you turn the ball over a lot, it hurts your defense,” said DeMarco. “But yeah, a lot of this is communication, just being in the right spot. So we’ll keep at it.” 

“I think, basically, we need to be better when we’re playing second and third actions. That’s kind of why (the offense) gets stagnant,” added Stewart.

A three-time WNBA champion, two-time Finals Most Valuable Player and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Stewart isn’t interested in making excuses for her team’s fourth-quarter collapse, even if the roster is not yet at full strength.

“The team is trying to get the ball in the right people’s hands, and [Portland] in particular is throwing traps during double teams,” she said.

“We’ll make the adjustments, and you know, make sure we’re protecting the 3-point line a little bit better and securing the ball,” DeMarco added.

New York is still waiting for German forward Leonie Fiebich, a full-time starter last year, and reserve Raquel Carrera to return from overseas commitments.

DeMarco did reveal that veteran sharp-shooter Rebecca Allen, back for a second stint with the Liberty, could be available for duty in Portland.

Allen has been down with a left leg injury, but is listed as questionable for Thursday night.

“She was a full participant [at shootaround]. She looked good,” DeMarco said. “She’s progressing well, and that’s our hope, but don’t know for sure if she will or not.”

Tip-off at Moda Center is slated for 10 p.m. ET.

The game will air nationally on Prime Video and locally on My9.

GIVE ME LIBERTY: Rookie point guard Pauline Astier is the third player in Liberty history to amass at least 30 points and 10 assists in her first three games, joining Ionescu and Rebecca Lobo on that exclusive list. Astier had a career-high 24 points Tuesday, the most by any first-year player in the WNBA thus far this year. … Only recently retired Tina Charles and Elena Baranova kicked off a Liberty season with three straight games of at least nine rebounds. Stewart matched that mark with her second double-double of the year Tuesday. … After finishing up in Portland, the Liberty will have plenty of time to heal up from their injuries and get some serious practice time in. They will not hoop it up again until next Thursday, when they open a six-game homestand vs. Golden State at Downtown’s Barclays Center. The stand will also feature visits from Portland, Phoenix, Toronto and Indiana. The Mercury will be in for a two-game series from May 27-29 in a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff series. On June 3, Brondello will lead the Tempo into Brooklyn for her much-anticipated return to the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush.