BROOKLYN, NY — The New York Liberty have evened up the 2024 WNBA Finals 1-1 against the Minnesota Lynx with an 80-66 victory on Sunday afternoon in Game 2 at Barclays Center.
New York was led by forward Breanna Stewart with 21 points and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton with 20. Although only averaging 5.9 points per game in the postseason before this game, Laney-Hamilton was a huge spark on offense for New York in Game 2.
The first quarter saw a quality start from both Laney-Hamilton and Stewart, who combined for 14 of New York’s 31 points. Guard Sabrina Ionescu was also in rhythm offensively, adding 12 first-quarter points and shooting 71% from the field.
Ball movement propelled New York’s offense as the team accumulated 10 first-quarter assists altogether. At the end of the first, New York had a double-digit lead of 31-21.
The Liberty’s attack became stagnant in the second quarter, and they could not produce much on the offensive end with Ionescu resting on the bench. Stewart added five more points in the second, but the Liberty faced a comeback by the Lynx. New York got outscored, and after being down 17 at one point, Minessota only trailed by 10 at halftime, supported by six points from forwards Napheesa Collier and five points from Bridget Carleton.
New York’s offense struggled once again, with Ionescu being held scoreless in the third and Stewart claiming her first points of the frame toward its end. The Lynx had cut the lead to four at one point, but New York responded with a strong end to the quarter, led by a Stewart block and five consecutive points.
A similar pattern occurred at the beginning of the fourth quarter which fans saw in Game 1 where the offense for New York became stagnant and no one was leading the unit or providing much scoring while the Lynx caught up.
Collier drove in the lane for a layup to officially cut New York’s lead to just two points a the score of 64-66. Two huge three-pointers by Laney-Hamilton and rookie Leonie Fiebich gave New York some breathing room and set the tone for the ending of this game.
The Liberty silenced the Lynx offensively as they went scoreless in the game’s last three minutes. A steal and layup by center Jonquel Jones solidified the win for New York. Along with Stewart’s 21 points, she made history accumulating the most steals in WNBA finals history with seven.
New York will head to Minnesota for Game 3 on Wednesday, Oct. 16, with tip-off scheduled for 8 pm ET.
