New York Liberty rookie Marine Fauthoux achieved a career milestone on Monday, recording her first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, alongside two assists, in the team's pivotal 99-98 overtime victory against the Dallas Wings.
Fauthoux, who also made two three-pointers off the bench, became the first rookie guard in the league to achieve this stat line. Her performance was so impactful that head coach Chris DeMarco utilized her for the entirety of the five-minute overtime period.
"She's a competitor," DeMarco said of Fauthoux. "She's played at very high levels. She's a winner and her teammates trust her."
The breakthrough game comes after a period of patience and rehabilitation for Fauthoux. The Liberty's third-round pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft began the season on a developmental contract, limiting her to 12 regular-season games before her contract would need to be converted for further play. She also returned from a year-long recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.
Fauthoux made her WNBA debut on June 6 and had not previously logged more than 15 minutes in a game. Her previous career high for points was four. On Monday, she played 27 minutes.
"It's special because I want to play every time, every game," Fauthoux told The Post. "It was hard to see other people play, but I was sure my time would come, and I work really, really hard, and I'm really good with the teammates, so they [helped] me a lot tonight to be involved in the game."
Fauthoux expressed confidence during the overtime period. "I was feeling good," she said. "And I know it's my game. I know I can do that at the end, so I was really happy inside of me because, for me, I feel like I'm really back now from my injury."
The win was critical for the Liberty, who had lost four consecutive games and eight of their last 10 regular-season matchups prior to Monday's contest. "We really needed this win at the end," Fauthoux stated. "So we fight a lot together. It was hard because they really are a great team, but we find strength between each other. So I was feeling good in the team."