Peter Okereke
The New York Liberty and Marine Johannes have scored back-to-back victories to start the season after escaping the Washington Mystics in overtime, 98-93, at CareFirst Arena on Sunday.
Johannes continued her hot shooting, scoring a game-high 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-13 from three-point range. She also had two assists and two steals on the night.
On her part, Liberty veteran Breanna Stewart added 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks in another all-around performance.
The duo also starred for the Liberty in their opening 106-75 win over the Connecticut Sun on Friday. Stewart had 31 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and three blocks, while Johannes added 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from long distance, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
According to the Liberty, Marine Johannes became only the third player in league history to make at least 10 three-pointers in her first two games of a season.
“She also joined Nikki McCray (2000) as the only players in league history to begin a season with consecutive games of 5+ three-pointers made,” the post on X (formerly Twitter) added.
The 31-year-old French guard has stepped up in the absence of superstar Sabrina Ionescu, who is out for two weeks due to a foot injury she sustained in the preseason.
Johannes went undrafted in 2017 and has bounced around with different teams in Europe. She signed with the Liberty last season, making it her third stint with the team. She has played a career-high 44 games, averaging 6.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 18.3 minutes off the bench.
