UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Free agent signee Emma Meesseman tallied 11 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds in 17 minutes in her New York Liberty debut Sunday as the team snapped a four-game losing streak with an 87-78 win over the Connecticut Sun.
Meesseman, the 2019 Finals MVP, appeared in her first WNBA game since 2022 when she was with the Chicago Sky. She was limited to 17 minutes as the Liberty get her acclimated to gameplay but made an impact nonetheless following her blockbuster signing with New York.
"To be able to do what she did in her first game, I don't think many people could do," said teammate Sabrina Ionescu, who finished with a game-high 36 points and 11 boards.
Meesseman's arrival in New York -- she signed Friday but watched from the bench that day as the Liberty fell to the Sun by 16 -- couldn't come at a better time for the defending champs. New York has been without Breanna Stewart, Kennedy Burke and Nyara Sabally due to injury and had yet to win since Stewart suffered a right leg bone bruise in the first half against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 26.
Asked what she was able to bring to the Liberty in her first game, Meesseman quipped, "a body."
"It's a hard schedule at this time, and there's a lot of fatigue," she said. "But I think just giving them some minutes, some glue, moving the ball, getting people open, just beautiful basketball, being part of that already in New York."
The team has raved about Meesseman's basketball knowledge and passing ability, and her high-low game with Jonquel Jones -- a former teammate from overseas -- was already on display Sunday.
"It was really nice, obviously, to have Emma," coach Sandy Brondello said. "It was easier for the rotations and the matchups. So, really happy to integrate her, for her to come out and play the game that she did."
The Belgium native scored all 11 of her points in the second half, where the Liberty found their rhythm and kept the Sun at arm's length coming off a seven-point halftime lead.
"The second half was a great example of being able to get the feel of the game, continuing to talk through what we see out there and then feel like the second half was pretty seamless," Ionescu said.
Added Meesseman: "The first half was just like getting thrown in there, getting a feel for how this team plays. ... The second half got better a little bit. But I think every game, every practice we have, hopefully it's going to get better."
The Liberty were bolstered by Ionescu's big night -- her first 30-point, 10-rebound game since July 2022 -- as well as Jones' 21 points and nine rebounds, the latter's highest scoring output since late May prior to injuring her ankle. New York's four-game losing streak was its longest since 2022, but Ionescu said she was proud of how the team made the right adjustments and responded, especially after Friday's defeat to the league-worst Sun.
"We showed how resilient we are, how we can stay together," Brondello said. "Everyone faces adversity. It's what you're going to do with it."