Liberty 'punch first' with 31-point rout over Sun - ESPN

NEW YORK — The New York Liberty opened their 2026 campaign with a celebration of their 30th season, filling Barclays Center with '90s-esque tributes harkening back to the franchise's inaugural year in 1997.

But Friday's game was also about the beginning of something new under first-year head coach Chris DeMarco, and that new era started about just as well as he could hope: New York steamrolled a rebuilding Connecticut Sun, 106-75, good for the franchise's largest-ever margin of victory in a season opener.

DeMarco, who comes to Brooklyn after spending over a decade as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, became the second head coach in WNBA history to win by 30 or more points in his head coaching debut.

«We wanted to punch first,» said two-time MVP Breanna Stewart, who finished with a dominant 31 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. «Knowing that this is a season-opener, home-opener, lot of different things, lot of different people here, some familiar people here, but this is us turning the page and turning the chapter a little bit, and focusing on what we have now and making sure that we start strong this season.»

The Liberty, who began the season favored by DraftKings to win the WNBA title at +220 odds, were without all-WNBA guard Sabrina Ionescu (left foot) and new free agent acquisition Satou Sabally (cyst). Ionescu will miss at least New York's first four games and Sabally is considered day-to-day. Left with only seven available players, the team signed two newcomers on hardship contracts on Thursday night.

But even with so much roster flux, DeMarco's new offensive system hummed, as his group registered the highest-scoring season opener in franchise history and tied for the sixth-most points scored in any game