The New York Liberty suffered their 4th loss against the Indiana Fever on July 18, before finally picking up a win tonight. It was their 8th loss in the last 12 games, and amid the downturn, Breanna Stewart, despite leading her team with 24 points, put the onus on herself as a leader.

“The feeling after a loss like this, we’ve got to find a way to stop the bleeding. One loss can’t turn into two, can’t turn into three, and now four. That’s a lot. Me, mentally, I’m looking at myself,” she told the New York Post’s Madeleine Kenney.

“There’s a lot I didn’t do well today between the turnovers, the missed free throws, things like that. In order for us to be our best, I need to be better… It’s tough right now.”

Stewart and Co. didn’t just lose their 4th game in a row; they were handed their biggest defeat of the season by the Fever on the back of Kelsey Mitchell’s historic performance. Liberty struggled with their shooting and allowed Indiana to score freely, losing 108-88. This was the first time this season that the Liberty conceded over 100 points.

To pile on the misery, Marine Johannes was helped off the court during the fourth quarter after an apparent non-contact injury to her left ankle. The Liberty are already struggling with the injury bug this season, and having a key player like Johannes sidelined has further stretched this already thin squad.

Stewart continues to be a rock for this team, averaging 20.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, and shooting 46.7% from the field. However, this is where the positives stop for the Liberty.

With a 14-12 record for the season, New York has hit a slump at the wrong time. Winning the Commissioner’s Cup earlier this season seems like a distant memory now, even after considering that things started on a positive note this season.

The Liberty went on a blistering 9-1 stretch from late May through mid-June. During this peak window, Breanna Stewart played at a near MVP level. She routinely carried the offensive load, scoring 30 points against the Fever and 28 against the Sun. The run completely masked their later rotational struggles due to injuries, which have become visible.

The Liberty finally catch a break while struggling with injuries

The Liberty have rarely played with their full squad this season. Sabrina Ionescu missed 12 of the New York Liberty’s first 13 games. She could only make her regular-season debut on May 24 against the Dallas Wings, but has struggled with consistency since then, often playing limited minutes.

Satou Sabally has been limited to just 13 games as well and missed her seventh straight game against Indiana due to concussion protocol. Leonie Fiebich has also missed game time this season due to injury.

Thankfully for New York, after a four-match skid, they finally ended thier slide against the Dallas Wings. With Paige Beuckers out of the Wings line-up after hurting her head in their previous game against the Phoenix Mercury, the Liberty picked up an incredibly close 99-98 win.

Breanna Stewart once again led the charge, dropping a double-double performance with 33 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, while scoring 11-12 from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionescu contributed 21 points, although her 8-25 from the field wasn’t anything to write home about.

While Arike Ogunbowale scored 29 points in Beuckers’ absence, it wasn’t enough to make up that 1 point that made all the difference.

So, while Breanna Stewart’s standout performance gave New York the win, it was also hard-fought, and something they would like to build on to ease the pressure.