The New York Liberty are looking to write a new chapter under first-year head coach Chris DeMarco this season, Breanna Stewart said after their opening-night WNBA win.

The Liberty routed the Connecticut Sun 106-75 to kickstart their 2026 campaign in Brooklyn on Friday, with two-time league MVP Stewart scoring 31 points.

Stewart – the league's best player in 2018 and 2023 – also had 10 rebounds, while Marine Johannes added 17 points for New York, who were without injured trio Sabrina Ionescu, Rebecca Allen and Satou Sabally.

The Liberty parted ways with former head coach Sandy Brondello, who went on to join expansion team Toronto Tempo, last September, having exited in the first round of the playoffs.

And Stewart hopes change will be a good thing for the 2024 WNBA champions, who are next in action against the Washington Mystics on Sunday.

STEW YORK GOT TO IT

With her 1st double-double of the szn, @breannastewart is our Player of the Game  pic.twitter.com/VoTqxVei1a

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 9, 2026

"We wanted to punch first," Stewart said. "Knowing that this was a season opener, a home opener, there were a lot of different things.

"There's a lot of different people here, some familiar people here, but this is us turning the page and turning the chapter a little bit.

"We're focusing on what we have now and making sure that we start strongly this season."