Stewart draws first technical since 2017 in Liberty loss

Breanna Stewart received a technical foul for the first time since 2017 on Monday night, September 21, 2026, as the New York Liberty fell 95-84 to the Atlanta Dream at Barclays Center. The call came in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter after Stewart drove to the basket and Angel Reese made contact with her hand without a whistle being blown. Stewart said the technical resulted directly from the no-call. Officials called no foul on Reese, then whistled Stewart for a personal foul on the subsequent play and assessed the technical on top of it. Replays showed contact with Stewart's wrist. Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu said afterward that Stewart's reaction did not warrant a technical foul, adding that many players in the league make similar gestures nightly without being penalized. The sequence came at a pivotal moment. With about two minutes remaining and New York trailing by eight, Stewart had a chance to cut the deficit to six. Instead, Atlanta's lead swung from eight points to 11, and the Liberty never recovered. The loss ended New York's chances of securing home-court advantage in the opening playoff round.