The players-only meeting that completely turned Liberty’s season around

INDIANAPOLIS — The Liberty suffered their most deflating loss of the season less than four weeks ago at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 

The Fever torched New York with an 18-2 third-quarter run and never looked back en route to a 20-point blowout, dropping the Liberty to a 13-12 record. 

That felt like rock bottom, and Breanna Stewart decided to stop holding back. 

In the immediate aftermath, the Liberty held a players-only meeting in the visitors locker room, Stewart said. 

It was a look-in-the-mirror type moment. 

The Liberty could do one of two things: sit there and feel sorry for themselves or decide enough was enough. 

“We had one in the locker room with just the players of really locking in and remembering what got you here,” Stewart said. “Because I think sometimes when you’re trying to do everything that the coaches want or trying to play perfectly, it becomes a little bit robotic and it was more so like play your game. That was the message to the players.” 

Too often for the first half of the season, the Liberty were trying to figure things out individually rather than as a collective. It felt like they continued to put Band-Aids on bullet holes hoping for different results. 

Injuries and poor officiating had too often been used as a crutch for the team’s issues. 

They needed to come together. 

After the news conference, Stewart and first-year coach Chris DeMarco had a lengthy conversation in the hallway. It wasn’t unusual to see them speak; they often talk after difficult losses. 

“We probably were just talking about staying the course,” Stewart said, “which I absolutely am gonna continue to stay the course.” 

There was another notable meeting after film the next day, too. 

In her 10th WNBA season, Stewart is being tested in ways she didn’t anticipate. She’s been challenged as a leader as the team navigated the worst 10-game stretch of Stewart’s New York tenure, with that Fever loss ending a 2-8 run. 

The Liberty have since turned the season around. New York has won seven of its past eight games entering Tuesday’s game against the Fever. 

There are several reasons for this. The continuity with the starting lineup, a more defined rotation pattern and established roles are among the biggest reasons, Sabrina Ionescu said. 

But Stewart, a natural introvert despite her loud and dominant game, is also speaking up far more. 

“Sometimes you don’t want to try to step on people’s toes, but nobody should take it like that,” Stewart said. “If I have a question or I think something’s not right or I want to ask more, I’m gonna do it. … I’m just not having any type of regrets. I’m gonna be blunt and straightforward with all my things right now.” 

Even amid all the adversity the Liberty have faced this season, Stewart’s confidence in the Liberty remains unshaken. 

She believes this team can handle anyone in a multiple-game playoff series. But she’s not allowing her mind to shift into late September just yet. 

“We’re still so far from that,” she said. “I want us to kind of continue to focus on getting better every single day and sometimes when you look ahead you lose sight of what’s right in front of you. And I just know that we just need to continue to keep building. … Of course I’m confident in this team in a series, but we still have a lot of growth that we need to get done.”