Breanna Stewart, Liberty even WNBA Finals series with Game 2 win over Lynx

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 Center-record 18,040 fans in attendance rejoiced. 

That Laney-Hamilton emerged as Sunday’s star is especially impressive considering Brondello’s prognosis of the wing Saturday. She played in only 28 games during the regular season, missing time from July 6 to Aug. 26 because of a knee procedure.

“She’s giving whatever she can,” Brondello said Saturday. “I think everyone sees that she’s trying. It’s not the same B that we’ve seen all season long, but it is what it is.”

She did more than just try. In addition to her offensive contributions, she spent time guarding Courtney Williams (who finished with only 15 points Sunday compared to 23 in Game 1) and Kayla McBride (who had a mere eight points after tallying 22 on Thursday). 

And yet, despite Laney-Hamilton’s boost, plus bounce-back games from Stewart (21 points, eight rebounds, and five assists) and Ionescu (15 points), there were still moments in which the two games seemed the same.  New York jumped out to a 10-point first quarter lead, but by the 6:52 mark of the period, it led by just six.

The Liberty led by 10 heading to halftime, but that was slashed to four points with just 90 seconds remaining in the frame. In the fourth quarter, New York’s lead grew as large as 11, but it shrunk, too. With just under four minutes left, the Liberty led by only two and those in attendance felt tension similar to the waning moments of Game 1.

This time, however, there would be no collapse. 

Stewart had three, of her finals-record seven, steals in the final five minutes. Jonquel Jones hit a timely layup with 3:57 left. Fiebich paused, took a deep breath and nailed a wide-open 3-pointer with 90 seconds left to extend New York’s cushion to nine points.

After doing so, with Minnesota having taken a timeout, Laney-Hamilton pumped her fist. So, too, did Ionescu. 

Collier had a modest game by her standards (16 points and eight rebounds), while a late 3-point attempt by Williams that rolled off the rim was a sign that Sunday afternoon would be different than Thursday night. 

Game 3 of the 1-1 series is Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. 

Laney-Hamilton becomes X-factor

Laney-Hamilton is less than three months removed from a procedure to remove two loose bodies from her right knee. She came off the bench during her ramp up to a full return and is still playing limited shifts in the postseason, with everyone acknowledging Laney-Hamilton isn’t going to be at 100 percent in this series.

But even at less than her best, the 2021 All-Star was still capable of being better. Laney-Hamilton had scored in double digits once in New York’s seven postseason games entering Sunday, and she was shooting 29.1 percent from the floor.

The Liberty needed more offense in Game 2 with Minnesota covering Fiebich more tightly after her five 3-pointers Thursday, and Laney-Hamilton came through. She was aggressive pulling up off of screens and made strong drives to the basket.

When New York’s movement on offense stalled, she took advantage of switches by posting up smaller defenders in the post.

Laney-Hamilton hit one of the biggest shots of the night, a corner 3-pointer off of a no-look, kick out pass from Ionescu to extend the Liberty’s lead to five points, 71-66, with 3:21 left in the game. Minnesota would never get within one possession after that.

Her 20 points tied a season-high; the last time she reached that total came before the Olympic break, and before her surgery.

In Game 1, Brondello couldn’t get Laney-Hamilton on the court down the stretch because of the way she was moving. On Sunday, it would have been impossible to justify keeping Laney-Hamilton off the floor.  — Sabreena Merchant, women’s basketball staff writer

Minnesota remains resilient in defeat

The Lynx once again found themselves trailing early against the Liberty, this time facing down a 17-point deficit in the second quarter (compared to 18 in Game 1).

But Minnesota steadfastly sticks to its system of ball movement, trusting that the defense will eventually break and that its pressure defense will cause the opposing offense to stagnate. It looked like the formula might work again, as the Lynx nearly erased the deficit yet again, pulling within two in the fourth quarter.

Although they weren’t able to break through, to have come so close to potentially taking a decisive 2-0 series lead bodes well for when the series switches to Minnesota.

Kayla McBride and Napheesa Collier highlighted their team’s resilience after Game 1 even though the 45 minutes featured a series of mistakes, and that commitment shined through again Sunday, despite the result.  — Merchant

Required reading

(Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler / Getty Images)