BROOKLYN — If the New York Liberty pull off its desired repeat, they might have the French Revolution to thank for it.
Le Liberté earned a landmark victory of sorts on Monday night, tipping off the post-Breanna Stewart injury era with an 81-79 win over the Connecticut Sun. Taken to the brink by the long-eliminated Sun will hardly impress outside observers but it was a step forward for a Liberty group that dropped four of its prior five amidst a fall to fifth on the WNBA leaderboard.
It took a little anger to gain that joy: New York’s luck amidst a testy challenge from the Sun changed after the emergence of extracurriculars involving backup guard Marine Johannes: the mild-mannered sharpshooter was at the center of a brief brouhaha with Connecticut counterpart Marina Mabrey toward the end of the third quarter, one that played an indirect role in New York jumping out to a lead it’d wind up protecting just long enough to seal the deal.
The scuffle between Johannes and Mabrey. pic.twitter.com/UY0Rw7rGCV— LibertyMuse (@LibertyMusee) August 26, 2025
“I like seeing it honestly,” forward Emma Meesseman said. “That’s not a side I see a lot out of Marine. I think we’re both kind of calm and everything, so I would never expect to see that. I was very surprised. I was like, that’s Marine, so its just important after that [after that] you get your cell back in the game.”
The incident in question occurred in the final minute of the third quarter with the Liberty down by two. Johannes made contact with Mabrey near the Connecticut bench while the Liberty tried to hold on for a last shot.
As Johannes walked away from a mutual bump, Mabrey extended her leg near Johannes’ feet, which led to a physical response. Once Saniya Rivers went for a more emphatic response toward Johannes, players from both sides, as well as staffers from the Connecticut bench, separated the two before things could escalate.
Stephanie Talbot quickly got by Johannes and the other seafoam women backed her to escort her to the far bench. After a lengthy review, double fouls were called to Johannes and Mabrey while Rivers was assessed a technical that led to a successful Stewart free throw.
With Johannes often regarded for her reserved yet lively demeanor, the out of character moment the lasting Liberty veteran ignited a run that gave the Liberty the lead back. In a run that extended to the penultimate minute of regulation, New York went on a 22-11 run capped off by a Leonie Fiebich three and then protected it just well enough to secure the win.
“We stand up for our teammates and make sure that nobody’s going to kind of push any of our team around,” the returning Stewart said. “We have her back, regardless of what happens.”Aug 25, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Marine Johannes (23) warms up before a game against the Connecticut Sun at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images
“I had no idea what happened, because I wasn’t facing that way, but I knew that I wanted to get her because Marine, she, like, she just minds her business,” said Monday starter Kennedy Burke, who was on the floor at the time of the incident. “I just wanted to make sure she’s good because, hey, if you mess with one of us, you messed with all of us. I was just making sure that she was okay, but she was fine, and then I feel like we did a good job just moving on from that, just kept playing basketball.”
The incident was perhaps indicative of how the Liberty have remained unified despite ever changing lineups and excessive injuries. New York has six games left on its docket before its championship defense tips off in knockout fashion in the WNBA Playoffs.
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“With all the adversity that we face, they’re staying together, and that’s all you can ask of them,” head coach Sandy Brondello said of a team that hasn’t had a full contingent available since opening day in mid-May. “We just got to hang tough. We got to hang tough and go out there and do the best you can … All you can do is control the controllables, and it is what it is. So there’s no use worrying about what we don’t have. We just got to focus on what we have and go out there and give our best effort.”
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