NEW YORK — For the briefest of moments, Breanna Stewart put her hands on her head. Then she slapped them on her legs, bowed her head and gave a half-hearted high five to a New York Liberty teammate.

Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty were left thinking about what could have been. The Liberty had an 18-point lead in the first half and an 11-point advantage with 3:23 left in regulation before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals slipped away and with it homecourt advantage in the best-of-five series.

Stewart struggled in the championship round lats year, averaging only 16.3 points per game on 36.2% shooting from the field.