Breanna Stewart had predicted it before.
Opponents could stick with the Liberty for portions of games — sometimes a quarter, sometimes a half, sometimes even three quarters — but eventually, and most of the time, they had enough firepower to go on that one game-changing burst that produced insurmountable leads.
After struggling offensively for the first five quarters of their WNBA semifinals series against the Sun, the Liberty offense finally resembled the prolific unit from the regular season.
They had consecutive 20-point quarters for the first time since the Mystics series, and a 13-5 run to start the fourth quarter helped the Liberty defeat the Sun, 84-77, to even the series at a game apiece as it shifts back to Connecticut.
Their offense wasn’t entirely back to normal.
Stewart, honored before the game with her MVP trophy, didn’t hit a field goal in the first half and finished with 11 points — well below the season average (23.3) that propelled her to the honor.
She wasn’t at the center of the offense’s epiphany.
But a balanced performance alongside their star from Betnijah Laney (20 points), Sabrina Ionescu (21 points) and Courtney Vandersloot (19 points) helped overcome a season-best 30 points from Tiffany Hayes.
