Liberty vs. Tempo: Jonquel Jones Posts 22 and 17 as New York Spoils Sandy Brondello's Return, 97-82

Sandy Brondello got the ovation. Jonquel Jones got everything else.

Brondello, who coached the New York Liberty to their first WNBA championship in 2024, came back to Barclays Center on Wednesday night running the expansion Toronto Tempo, and the crowd gave her a warm welcome during introductions. That was the end of the hospitality. Jones went for 22 points and 17 rebounds, Breanna Stewart took over after halftime, and the Liberty won 97-82 for their third straight victory.

From 22-17 Down to Cruise Control

Toronto didn't come to be a prop in somebody's tribute video. The Tempo led 20-17 after one even with Jones scoring 12 of New York's 17 in the quarter, and they were up 22-17 early in the second. Then the Liberty ripped off a 15-2 run between 9:12 and 4:53, finished by a pair of Satou Sabally threes. The first came in transition over her sister Nyara, whom Toronto plucked from New York in the expansion draft. Sibling rivalries have started over less.

New York took a 40-34 lead to the break, with Jones already at 17 points and 12 rebounds. The third quarter settled it. An 8-0 burst between 8:17 and 7:18 pushed the margin to 52-39, the Liberty poured in 30 for the period, and it was 70-58 going into the fourth. The lead peaked at 21 before a 10-0 Toronto run, powered by rookie Kiki Rice, trimmed an 83-62 game to 83-72. Stewart ended any fantasies right away with two free throws at 4:11 and a three-point play at 3:36.

The 14 lead changes make this sound tighter than it felt. New York led for 81% of the game, and Toronto's biggest lead was just five.

Jones Rewrites Some Fine Print

Jones made 9 of 14 shots and 4 of 7 threes, grabbed 12 defensive and five offensive boards, and blocked two shots. The Liberty's notes are where it gets fun. She's now the fourth player in franchise history with 20 points and 15 rebounds in a game. Never before in a regular-season game for the Liberty had she posted a double-double by halftime. And only two other players in WNBA history, Tamika Catchings and Lauren Jackson, have made three threes and grabbed 12 rebounds in a single first half. Eight of those boards came in the second quarter, tying her career high for one quarter, and the 12 in the half matched the most by anyone in a half so far in 2026.

Stewart was almost invisible early, with two points at the break. She finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists, scoring 17 after halftime, nine of them in the third, and going 8 of 8 at the line. The team says that's 52 games of at least 15 points and eight rebounds in a New York uniform, and she and Tina Charles are the only players in franchise history past 50.

Then there's the supporting cast. Marine Johannes scored 15 on 6-of-10 shooting, became the league's first player to reach 30 threes in 2026 and logged her 50th career double-figure game. Leonie Fiebich had 14, Satou Sabally 12 in just 14 minutes, and rookie Pauline Astier 10 with a game-high five assists. Six Liberty players reached double figures, which the team says matches the franchise record for one game. They did it still missing Sabrina Ionescu, who has a back issue and has played in just one game this season.

Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes led Toronto with 17 each, and Nyara Sabally added 11 points and six rebounds against her old team.

Fifty-Nine Seconds in the Third

If you want one stretch that turned a competitive game into a comfortable one, it's those 59 seconds. Toronto had hung around and was still down just 44-39 at 8:17. By 7:18 it was 52-39, and the evening never felt uncomfortable for New York again. Stewart waking up mattered as much as the score. A New York team getting 17 first-half points from Jones and nine third-quarter points from Stewart is not one you're catching from behind while shooting 6 of 19 from three.

A sour note came with 1:33 left. Rice had a shot blocked and came down badly on her left leg. She needed a moment on the floor, then got up and hopped to the locker room. The rookie, the No. 6 pick in the draft, had nine points. Brondello had no update afterward. "She's a tough kid, but, yeah, it's unfortunate," she said.

Numbers With a Point

• 14-6: Made threes, a 24-point swing in a 15-point game.
• 40-32: New York on the boards, with a season-high 11 offensive rebounds, per the team.
• 24-17: Liberty assists, on a night when New York made 33 shots.
• 46-36 and 13-3: Toronto's edges in the paint and on the break. The Tempo shot 45% and scored 82, and it wasn't close to enough.

Out of the Ditch, Down to .500

New York is 6-4 and 4-3 at home, and three straight wins have cleaned up the three straight losses that came right before them. The Liberty get Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever at home on Saturday night, with coach Chris DeMarco saying at shootaround that Ionescu is getting better.

The Tempo fall to 5-5 and 3-3 on the road, with a two-game winning streak gone. For an expansion team, .500 through 10 games is a start plenty of franchises would frame. They host Chicago on Sunday and will be waiting on word about Rice.

Reunion Special

Reunion specials all follow the same script: a warm ovation, a highlight package, a few nice words, and then the show goes right back to business. The franchise's winningest coach got her moment on Wednesday. Then New York answered in six different double-figure voices, and the only things Brondello got to take home were a record back at .500 and a worry about a rookie's left leg.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Team notes from the New York Liberty. Postgame quotes and game details as reported by the Associated Press.