Breanna Stewart, the power forward for the New York Liberty, has set a new record in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) by scoring the most points in a single season.
Stewart’s outstanding performance of 40 points helped her team beat the Dallas Wings 94-93 on Tuesday, taking her overall tally to 885 points from 38 games.
The previous record was held by Diana Taurasi, who scored 860 points in 2006 in a 34-game regular season.
Stewart expressed her gratitude for the achievement, saying, “It means a lot. Any time I’m in the same limelight as [Taurasi] it’s a huge honour. I really appreciate everything I’ve been able to do, and wouldn’t be able to do it without my teammates.”
With only two regular-season games remaining — against the Los Angeles Sparks and the Washington Mystics — Stewart will be looking to extend her record further.
The New York Liberty, who have won seven games in a row, are currently second in the Western Conference and competing with the Las Vegas Aces to secure the top seed in the playoffs.
In the Tuesday night game against the Dallas Wings, Stewart’s 40 points helped her team secure their seventh straight victory.
The Liberty, with a record of 31-7, are just one game behind the first-placed Las Vegas Aces (32-6), with games against the Los Angeles Sparks and the Washington Mystics still to come.
The Aces will close the season with a home-and-home series against the Phoenix.
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Stewart made history by becoming the all-time leader in points scored with 861 points, and then surpassed Taurasi’s record on the same night.
She has achieved 40-plus points four times this season and also grabbed 10 rebounds in the game against the Dallas Wings.
Stewart’s record-breaking achievement is even more impressive as the WNBA implemented a new 40-game regular-season slate this year, up from 36 in 2022.
The WNBA has played a 34-game season for most of its history.
Dallas Wings, with a record of 20-18, were seeking to clinch the No. 4 seed with a victory but were unable to do so despite their best efforts.
Stewart made a crucial free throw to break the tie at 93-all with 42.3 seconds left, securing an offensive rebound after missing the second free throw.
New York forward Betnijah Laney almost scored a jumper, but it rolled out, and the Dallas Wings had a chance to take the lead with about 25 seconds left.
Satou Sabally had a good look in the lane, but her shot hit hard off the backboard, and Stewart grabbed another rebound to seal the victory for her team.
In addition to Stewart’s 40 points, Betnijah Laney scored 22 points, and Courtney Vandersloot had 16 points and 10 assists for New York.
Sabrina Ionescu was limited to just five points in 25 minutes. Vandersloot also reached 300 assists on the season, equalling her career-high set in 2019.
For Dallas Wings, Sabally finished with 27 points, Arike Ogunbowale added 19 points, and Natasha Howard had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
