Breanna Stewart, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton help Liberty rally for comeback win vs. Atlanta

The top scorer and rebounder in Liberty history was back playing in her home city with her Atlanta Dream team at Barclays Center on Sunday. Tina Charles sounded enthused about what has become of her former team.

“I think every league is always great when the New York teams are doing well,” she said.

“It’s always way more exciting. For the Liberty, having Jonquel Jones, Sabrina [Ionescu] coming into her own, you add in a vet like [Courtney Vandersloot], I’m very excited for them and just what they’ll do this season. I’m always a fan from far away.”

The 35-year-old center from Queens, in her first season with her fourth team since the Liberty traded her in April 2020, didn’t see her old team at its best for most of the first half.

The Liberty trailed by 16 early in the second quarter and by 14 late in the period before rallying for an 81-75 victory. It was the biggest deficit the Liberty have erased in a win this season.

“We had to dig deep,” coach Sandy Brondello said after the Liberty moved to 16-3, the best 19-game start in team history.

Breanna Stewart scored 22 points and became the fastest in WNBA history to reach 5,000, doing it in 242 games, one better than Diana Taurasi.

“I think it’s a cool honor for sure when you’re able to kind of pass someone like ‘D’ who’s really paving the way with scoring,’’ said Stewart, who had 12 rebounds.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton nailed four three-pointers and scored 18 points. Rookie reserve Leonie Fiebich contributed 12 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, and three steals.

They helped the Liberty overcome a 24-point effort by Allisha Gray and 16 points and 12 rebounds from Charles. They also helped compensate for quiet games from Ionescu, who shot 3-for-17 and scored 10 points, including the 2,000th of her career, and Jones, who had five points and four rebounds. Neither player felt well.

“We knew people were under the weather,” Ionescu said in a voice barely above a whisper. “We just kind of had to rally behind one another . . . No one cares if you’re sick. There are no excuses.”

The Liberty led by one before opening the fourth quarter with a 10-0 burst.

Stewart hit a free throw. Fiebich converted a layup off a feed from Jones, then made a quick steal, missed a layup, secured the rebound and scored again. “I’m trying not to let the ups and downs get too much to my confidence,” Fiebich said.

Ionescu followed with a floater and Jones drilled an open three-pointer from straight on for a 70-59 lead.

After the Dream cut it to 70-67, Ionescu and Fiebich each sank a three-pointer. Atlanta’s Cheyenne Parker-Tyus hit a layup, but Laney-Hamilton responded with a three-pointer for a 79-69 lead with 2:33 left.

“It wasn’t pretty,” Ionescu said, “but I think that’s the beauty of having so many weapons on the floor.”

The Liberty shot 5-for-18 and trailed 24-13 after a period. Brondello called them “a little bit rusty” after not playing since Tuesday’s loss to Minnesota in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game.

The Dream led 31-15 early in the second quarter and 41-27 with 1:40 left in the period before the Liberty finished the first half with a 9-0 run.

“[Laney-Hamilton] made a really big point at halftime in the locker room: We need to pressure more defensively to make them feel uncomfortable,” Fiebich said. “I think that was one point that we really executed in the second half.”