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…
