The New York Liberty restored order, taking care of home court and evened the series on Sunday, defeating the Minnesota Lynx handily, 80-66, to tie the WNBA Finals at 1-1 as they head back to Minneapolis. Although the Lynx positioned themselves and threatened another comeback after stealing the wild overtime win in Game 1, the Liberty were victorious in the end.
Game 2 seemed to be on track to follow an eerily similar pattern as Game 1on Thursday night. The Liberty came out on fire and took an early double-digit lead, before the Lynx found a way to close the gap in the second half. But this time around, New York was able to hold on to the lead and get the 14-point win over the Lynx in front of a record 18,040 fans at Barclays Center.
Once again, the game drew a sellout crowd that included singer/actress/talk show host Jennifer Hudson, News anchor Katie Couric, rapper Fat Joe and UConn coach Geno Auriemma. Auriemma had rooting interests on both teams with Stewart and Collier.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who has been plagued by a lingering knee injury, exploded for the Liberty, becoming the unsung hero and a critical difference-maker behind a season-high 20 points in 32 minutes of action. Breanna Stewart had her usual good day at the office after struggling from the field in Game 1, delivering on both ends of the court, putting up 21 points, eight boards and seven steals.
“She’s giving whatever she can,” coach Sandy Brondello said Saturday. “I think everyone sees that she’s trying. It’s not the same B that we’ve seen all season long, but it is what it is.”
From the opening tip, the Liberty forced the Lynx to speed themselves up and be careless with the ball, causing five early turnovers, building up a 10-point lead to end the first quarter. Despite Minnesota’s best effort to stay in the game, the Liberty were up by as many as 16 in the second quarter, heading into the locker room with a 49-39 advantage at the break.
The second half saw some repeats of Game 1, with Minnesota finding a way to get stops, closing in on New York’s lead and threatening to overtake them. With the help of Courtney Williams and Napheesa Collier, who both have been on heaters throughout the postseason, carrying their team, the Lynx made it a two-possession game and got within four points of the Liberty in the third quarter. But Stewart had a refuse to lose mentality, and leaned on her championship experience that she received with the Seattle Storm, getting a huge block and a long two to close out the third period with an eight-point lead.
Even though New York brought things back to a double-digit lead to start the final frame, a reckless closeout foul from veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot gave Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman three free throws and an opportunity to change the game’s momentum.
Hiedeman bricked the first, leading to a great cheer from the sold-out Liberty crowd, before burying the next two. Moments later, Collier scored another tough layup to bring Minnesota within four, and then another to get within two.
Stewart got two key-back-to-back steals, with Jonquel Jones finishing to make it a two-score game again. But Williams did not waste any time and got a driving layup to bring it back, but Laney-Hamilton knocked down a massive three-pointer to change the momentum again.
“I wanted to make it difficult for all the players I was going against,” Stewart said.
The Liberty went on a 7-0 run in the final minutes of the game, punctuated by Leonie Fiebich making a wide opened shot from downtown that pumped up the fans and gave the Liberty some much needed breathing room.
New York then put the final nails in the coffin, capping things off with a few more points and an exclamation point from Jones to take the 80-66 win.
Embed from Getty ImagesBesides Laney-Hamilton and Stewart, Jones and Sabrina Ionescu scored double-digits of their own, with Jones contributing 14 points and Ionescu finishing the day with 15 after a huge 12-point first quarter.
“I couldn’t wait to come back here Sunday and change the narrative a little bit,” Stewart said. “Thank you guys for having our back.”
For the Lynx, Collier ended with 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals, while Williams had 15 points and eight dimes. Alanna Smith chipped in 14 points.
The two teams will now travel to Minnesota to continue the Finals, with guaranteed games on Wednesday and Friday now that the series is tied.
