After a historic comeback by the No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx in Game 1, Game 2 of the 2024 WNBA Finals saw the No. 1-seed New York Liberty even up the series.
The Liberty protected home court and beat the Lynx, 80-66. New York got it done thanks to Betnijah Laney-Hamilton being an unguardable force, scoring 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Breanna Stewart brushed off the bad moments she had in Game 1 and was productive with a team-high 21 points, along with eight rebounds, five assists and seven steals. No one has ever had as many steals in a WNBA Finals game.
The Lynx stayed within striking distance but couldn’t finish the comeback in the fourth quarter. Naphessa Collier was an efficient 7-for-12 from the field, good for 16 points, and Courtney Williams shot 50 percent from the field and added 15, but the Lynx struggled to put points on the board as a team. The 66 points they scored on Sunday was the lowest point total by Minnesota in these playoffs.
How New York responded
Sabrina Ionescu wasted no time getting things going for the Liberty, scoring the team’s first five points. She scored 12 of her 15 points during the opening frame. New York stayed ahead and aggressive, ending the quarter on a 7-0 run and leading 31-21 after the first.
The rest of the first half featured both teams exchanging baskets. Bridget Carleton and Collier were effective, scoring a combined 11 points in the second, but Laney-Hamilton countered with two 3-point baskets and Stewart added seven points to keep the Liberty in front by 10 entering the break.
The Lynx applied pressure during the start of the third as Williams hit a 3-pointer to trim the deficit down to six points. New York called timeout and got back on track with a Jonquel Jones basket. With the quarter winding down, Stewart scored four unanswered points to give the Liberty an eight-point edge entering the fourth.
Minnesota has had a never-say-die attitude during these Finals and they brought that fight to the final frame. With 7:34 left, Kayla McBride hit a 3-pointer to slice the lead back down to four. Williams had a nice dime to Collier, and suddenly it was a one possession game and the Lynx were eyeing their first lead of the night.
With 3:21 left in the game, the Liberty held on to a two-point lead and Laney-Hamilton hit a clutch 3-pointer to give New York a five-point lead and some breathing room. Leonie Fiebich added another 3-pointer and the Liberty put the Lynx away for good, winning the game by scoring twelve-straight points.
Closing thoughts
Laney-Hamilton was the hero for New York on Sunday. She brought defensive versatility and her clutch outside shooting was too much for Minnesota to handle. The Lynx will have to figure out a way to slow her down because New York will undoubtedly go to her a lot again in Game 3.
With the series even at 1-1, the Lynx have to be happy with their position. If they win their home games, they will be champions. The Liberty might not be thrilled with their current spot, but Game 2 showed that they can overwhelm and control the Lynx when they play their best.
New York never trailed on Sunday and they dominated for most of Game 1 before things went south. All they need to do is win one of these upcoming road games and they’ll regain control of the series. They’ll get their first chance of stealing a road game on Wednesday Oct. 16 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) as Game 3 moves to Minnesota.