Stewart returning for Liberty vs. Sun after month-long absence

New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart will play Monday against the Connecticut Sun after missing the last month due to a bone bruise in her right knee, she told Winsidr's Myles Ehrlich.

Stewart, 30, was out for 13 games, a stretch in which New York posted just five wins.

Her co-star, Sabrina Ionescu, will also return against Connecticut, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said, per Ehrlich. Ionescu did not play in New York's 78-62 loss Saturday to the Atlanta Dream with an ankle issue.

Stewart averaged 18.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 24 starts this season before she was injured in the opening minutes of a July 26 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. The two-time MVP was running back on defense when she suddenly pulled up in pain and signaled toward the bench for a sub.

Before losing Stewart for most of August, the Liberty were 17-6 and second in the WNBA behind the Minnesota Lynx. The Liberty now sit fifth with three games separating them from the Indiana Fever, who occupy the league's eighth and final playoff seed.