By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Natasha Cloud made a stunning debut with the Liberty on Saturday, helping power the defending champions past their old foes Las Vegas Aces 92-78 in front of a packed house at New York’s season opener.
A gritty defender with exceptional speed, Cloud was exactly as fans had hoped when New York snatched her up from the Phoenix Mercury in the offseason, draining 22 points, while the twice MVP Breanna Stewert led the scoring for the Liberty with 25.
The reigning MVP A’ja Wilson put on one of her blockbuster performances with 31 points for the Aces but it was not enough to overcome a smothering New York defense.
Only three teams have won a consecutive title in the WNBA and the Liberty made a compelling case to become the fourth as Stewart came alive in the second quarter, with a one-handed bucket that brought the house down, and New York went into the locker room up 47-33.
The veteran guard Cloud fitted in perfectly with the quick-tempo Liberty offense and soaked in cheers from the adoring fans at Barclays Center as she soldiered on after taking an elbow to the face in the third quarter.
The Aces trimmed the lead to two points in the fourth but could not break through in the final minutes of the game.
The win capped an afternoon of celebration for the Liberty, after owners Joe and Clara Wu Tsai handed each of their players diamond-encrusted championship rings – with a secret compartment containing stud earrings – in a pre-game ceremony.
That was the pinnacle of an extraordinary comeback journey for the team, after former owners Madison Square Garden Company announced in 2017 that it would sell the franchise and booted the team to a 2,100-seat facility in the suburbs.
A packed house at the stadium they share with their NBA counterparts Brooklyn Nets gave a deafening cheer as Cloud celebrated with her new teammates at center court.
“There was a culture, there was an unselfishness about this team,” said Cloud. “They know what it takes.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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