Liberty forward Breanna Stewart shoots past Dallas Wings center Teaira...

Liberty forward Breanna Stewart shoots past Dallas Wings center Teaira McCowan for a basket during a WNBA game at Barclays Center on Thursday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

Sandy Brondello is not playing mad scientist.

She is just getting an opportunity for some trial and error.

The coach of the Liberty, while fully acknowledging these final 12 regular games spanning 28 days are important, has the luxury to experiment with new roles and responsibilities for her team with slightly more than a month remaining before the WNBA playoffs begin.

Because Brondello and her team are attempting to accomplish something that no other squad in franchise history has done: Win a championship.

So she is tinkering.

“It’s been great for us to see how it all works together,” Brondello said before the Liberty’s 79-71 significantly-tougher-than-expected win over the Dallas Wings Thursday night at Barclays Center.

The Liberty (25-4) have won four straight since the Paris Summer Olympics-mandated break, and eight-in-a-row dating back to July 10.

“They’re the team to beat,” Dallas coach Latricia Trammell said. “They are the team that is playing at a high level. Their players fit that system that Sandy wants to run.”

Breanna Stewart led four players in double-figure scoring with 19 points. Leonie Fiebich and Kayla Thornton added 16 points apiece.

Jonquel Jones recorded her 22nd double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

The second half of a home back-to-back against the league’s second-worst squad was not aesthetically pleasing. The Liberty only shot 35.1 percent from the field (27-for-77) and 24.1 percent from three (7-for-29).

“If we have to win ugly, we’ll win ugly,” Stewart said. “We just want to make sure that we win.”

On this night, in a tight, back-and-forth affair over the entire 40 minutes, the flashy, explosive Liberty evolved into a gritty defensive unit.

The Liberty forced Dallas into 15 turnovers and limited the Wings to 2-of-13 shooting from three (15.4 percent).

“Our help defense,” Thornton said, when asked what the key to the win was. “I think [we played] defense together. We switched a lot. And I think just cracking down and helping [Jones and Nyara Sabally] rebound against [Teaira McCowan and Kalani Brown].”

The Liberty also unveiled something akin to a two-deep safety defense in football to eliminate easy basket opportunities for Dallas. Repeatedly over the course of the game, the Liberty would have two players get back on missed shots to deflect outlet passes thrown by Dallas bigs to streaking guards.

All of which was part of the plan Brondello and general manager Jonathan Kolb designed and executed following the loss to the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA championship series last fall.

“We went and got defensive-minded players,” Brondello said. “We got players with length. Big, physical, tough but also very skilled and that just matched together.”

The roster versatility and toughness came to the forefront in the final 3:11 as the Liberty outscored the Wings 14-7.

With the Liberty holding onto a 65-64 lead, Stewart started the game-deciding run by knocking down a 17-foot jumper with 3:11 remaining.

Although Stewart struggled with her shot — she finished 5-for-18 from the field — she did grab seven rebounds and have six assists. .Entering the game, Stewart was averaging a career-high 3.8 assists per game due in part to having ball-handling duties added to her workload.

“Last year, near the end of the year, we kind of felt like we needed a little more playmaking so we started putting the ball in her hands,” Brondello said. “This year you saw even more of it.”

Fiebich’s three nearly two minutes later put the game away for all intents and purposes.

The Liberty was shorthanded as Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee), and Sabrina Ionescu (neck) were unable to play due to injuries. Brondello said Ionescu was “still a game-time (decision) so we’ll give her as much time as we can,” and that the organization hopes Laney-Hamilton will be able to play during the Liberty’s West Coast road trip next week.

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