The New York Liberty produced a franchise-record 23-0 run and welcomed the return of two key players Wednesday as they ended a three-game losing streak with an 84-74 win over the visiting Phoenix Mercury at Barclays Center.
New York forward Leonie Fiebich, a late arrival to the WNBA after playing in Spain, played for the Liberty for the first time this season, scoring nine points.
"As advertised, she's so steady," first-year Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said of Fiebich, who started 37 games last season. "A really good addition."
Said Fiebich: "I know the core of the group really well, and I think that helped me a lot tonight. Because the system is new, I'm still learning a lot."
In addition, guard/forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who sat out the previous three games for personal reasons, returned and finished with seven points.
"It always feels good to be back out there," Laney-Hamilton said.
The Liberty did not have forward Satou Sabally, who was a game-time scratch after leaving Monday's loss to Portland because of illness, or guard Sabrina Ionescu (foot injury). But after losing three straight games at home for the first time since 2022, the Liberty had plenty to feel good about Wednesday.
Marine Johannes led the Liberty with 21 points -- going 7-of-9 from 3-point range -- and Jonquel Jones had 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Liberty's 23-0 run spanned the third and fourth quarters.
"We turned it up," DeMarco said. "We were playing hard. We know we have it in us. We just had to feel it and get some momentum. We've wanted to play this way, aggressively, and I think we got there a little bit."
The Liberty and Mercury meet again Friday in New York. Sabally said earlier Wednesday that she looked forward to facing the Mercury, with whom she played for last year. DeMarco said he wasn't sure whether she would be able to return for Friday.
Phoenix also saw the return of a starter from last season Wednesday, as guard Monique Akoa Makani played her first game this season. She had nine points, but the Mercury still lost their fourth game in a row. Since defeating defending champion Las Vegas in their season opener May 9, the Mercury are 1-6.