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Breanna Stewart sets New York Liberty scoring record in home debut

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Breanna Stewart scored a franchise-record 45 points in her Barclays Center debut with the New York Liberty. (Elsa/Getty Images)

“Hello, Brooklyn. It’s nice to be home,” Breanna Stewart said before her home debut with the New York Liberty.

She backed up the sentiment, scoring a franchise-record 45 points in her first game at Barclays Center as a member of the team in front of a crowd of 8,575 fans. The record performance also marked the first time a WNBA player has scored 40 or more points in their home debut with a franchise.

She added a team-high 12 rebounds to secure the double-double in the 90-73 win against the Indiana Fever.

“It was really important to play like this in my debut,” Stewart said after the game. “Because I want people to be here and I want them to come back, and I want more. I want more of everything. And yeah it sounds selfish, but as a women’s basketball player, as a female athlete, we need to continue to get recognized for more in media coverage and fans and eyes and viewership.

“Hopefully I made a few [good] first impressions on some people, and I hope they come back and they come back with more.”