NEW YORK — There was no singular way for members of the New York Liberty to turn the page after their historic Game 1 collapse to the Minnesota Lynx.
Star guard Sabrina Ionescu said she couldn’t just “flush” the result. Forward Leonie Fiebich watched the contest three full times in the 36 hours immediately after the overtime loss. Veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot described moving forward “as a process.”
Liberty coach Sandy Brondello was glad two days separated Game 1 and Game 2 so she had more time to watch film and reflect. But just after 3 p.m. Sunday, a new game began. And with it, a new chapter in the series was written.
Though there were moments that felt eerily similar — New York, for instance, saw a 17-point lead shrink to only two with 3:21 remaining in the game — Sunday’s sequel featured a player who had a relatively minimal impact in the opener: Liberty wing Betnijah Laney-Hamilton.
Laney-Hamilton played the fewest minutes (26) of any New York starter in Game 1. In the Liberty’s 80-66 Game 2 victory, she scored 20 points, tying her season high. Laney-Hamilton nailed a 3-pointer with 3:20 remaining, the biggest shot of the contest, which stretched the lead back to five.
Then, she grabbed a rebound on the ensuing possession as the Barclays…
