The New York Liberty held off the Minnesota Lynx in Game 2 of the WNBA finals on Sunday afternoon, weathering another dogged comeback before pulling away for a 80-66 win that leveled the best-of-five championship series at one game apiece.
Three days after blowing an 18-point lead in a stunning Game 1 overtime loss, New York led from wire to wire behind Breanna Stewart, who finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a WNBA finals-record seven steals. The Liberty also got 20 points from Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who bounced back from a quiet five-point effort on Thursday.
Quick Guide
WNBA finals 2024
Show
Schedule
Best-of-five series. All times Eastern.
Thu 10 Oct Game 1: Minnesota 95, New York 93 (OT)
Sun 13 Oct Game 2: New York 80, Minnesota 66
Wed 16 Oct Game 3: New York at Minnesota, 8pm, ESPN
Fri 18 Oct Game 4: New York at Minnesota, 8pm, ESPN
Sun 20 Oct Game 5: Minnesota at New York, 8pm, ESPN*
*–if necessary
Playing before a franchise-record crowd of 18,040 fans, the Liberty led by as many as 15 points in the first half. The Lynx chipped away after half-time, getting as close as 68-66 on a Courtney Williams driving lay-up with 3:40 remaining.
But the Liberty ripped off nine unanswered points from there and never looked back, moving within two wins of the franchise’s first WNBA championship as the series heads back to Minnesota for Wednesday night’s Game 3.
“I couldn’t wait to come back here Sunday and change the narrative a little bit,” Stewart said afterward. “I just wanted to make it very difficult for every single one of the players I was going up against today.”
While Sunday’s contest was not officially an elimination game for New York, the hosts were staring down an ominous scenario. None of the previous 20 teams facing an 0-2 deficit in the WNBA finals had come back to win the series.
Full report to follow …
