No. 8 seed New York eliminated No. 1 seed Minnesota 87-71 on Tuesday night, completing a 2-0 sweep in the WNBA's 30-year history.
Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart each scored 21 points, while Sabrina Ionescu added 18 points to combine for 60 points in Game 2.
Minnesota ended its 33-11 season in two games after Cheryl Reeve won Coach of the Year and Olivia Miles won Rookie of the Year on Monday.
The Liberty advance to a best-of-five semifinal series starting Sunday against either the Atlanta Dream or Washington Mystics.
The New York Liberty defeated the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 87-71 on Tuesday night in front of 17,593 fans at Barclays Center, completing a 2-0 series sweep in the playoff quarterfinals. The result is the first time in the WNBA's 30-year history that an eighth seed has eliminated a top seed. New York built an early 10-point advantage inside the first five minutes after Jonquel Jones scored the team's first seven points. After Minnesota trimmed the deficit to 40-35 with 2:39 remaining in the second quarter, the Liberty closed the half on a 9-2 run to enter the break leading 49-37.
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New York's core of Jones, Breanna Stewart, and Sabrina Ionescu produced 60 points and combined to score or assist on 70 of the team's 87 total points. Both Jones and Stewart scored 21 points, with Jones pulling down 13 rebounds, while Ionescu contributed 18 points despite dealing with physical limitations during the regular season. With 6:26 remaining in the third quarter and New York leading 52-39, Stewart drew a Flagrant-1 foul on Olivia Miles during a drive to the rim and converted both free throws. Minnesota failed to cut the deficit closer than seven points for the remainder of the contest.
“I feel like we had an advantage in our size against them, and I wanted to make my impact early. If a shot is going up I felt like I had to be in the paint and set the tone for the night.”
The elimination concludes the season for a Minnesota roster that compiled a league-leading 33-11 record during the regular season. On Monday, Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve received the WNBA Coach of the Year award, while rookie guard Miles was chosen as the unanimous Rookie of the Year. Miles finished Game 2 with five points on 1-of-8 shooting in 17 minutes against New York's interior defense. Courtney Williams led the Lynx with 18 points, and Napheesa Collier added 14 points in the defeat.
“I just love the idea. Look at these eight teams that are in the field. Great basketball, and you should go as long as you can.”
Prior to the series, Reeve advocated expanding the opening round from three games to five games. The WNBA replaced single-elimination opening rounds with best-of-three series in 2022, and expanded the Finals to best-of-seven last year. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will leave her post at the end of the year as the league evaluates future playoff structures. New York, which won its first championship in franchise history two years ago before suffering a first-round exit last season, adapted to new head coach Chris DeMarco this year and advances to the best-of-five semifinals beginning Sunday. The Liberty will open on the road against either the Atlanta Dream or Washington Mystics, with Atlanta leading that series 1-0 ahead of Game 2 on Wednesday night.
“We know we're not a traditional eight seed. We understand once the playoffs come, it's a new season. We have more to do.”
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The eighth-seeded New York Liberty eliminated the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx with an 87-71 Game 2 win at Barclays Center on Tuesday night, advancing to the WNBA semifinals behind 21 points each from Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones.
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