The New York Liberty seemed to have an uphill battle heading into the 2026 WNBA Playoffs. After the FIBA World Cup break, the team looked strong and ready to move on to post-season basketball. That plan faltered when the Liberty took two straight losses to the Atlanta Dream in their final regular season games. And they certainly had their work cut out for them, facing off against the number one seed, the Minnesota Lynx. (The playoff history between these teams added extra fuel to the fire.)
On Sunday, September 27, the Liberty played game one against the Lynx, who came out strong. New Jersey native, Olivia Miles, who has certainly made her case for rookie of the year, and won officially on September 28, got two back-to-back shots to really propel the Lynx forward. After earning a six to zero lead though, it seemed as though the Lynx could only blink before they would be in trouble.
The Liberty went on a 15 point run after Miles’ second basket. Pauline Astier got things moving with a driving reverse layup, and the Liberty were set from there. In less than two minutes, the game completely shifted. New York fans could tell this would be a hard one for Minnesota to steal back.
Breanna Stewart, widely regarded as one of the most crucial pieces to the Liberty’s game, both on and off the court, put on quite the show on Sunday. She became the first player in WNBA Playoff history to record over 30 points (34 points), over ten rebounds (12), over five assists (6), and two steals.
Napheesa Collier matched Miles with four points in the first, but the Lynx ultimately were down 25-18.
The tides seemed to turn in the second—the Lynx scoring 26 points to the Liberty’s 15. Nia Brodie came out with nine points in the frame, surpassing Stewart’s eight. But the collective effort of the Lynx in the second quarter earned them the lead back before the half.
New York came back out from the locker room rejuvenated and ready to play, with Astier scoring in the first 20 seconds. Leonie Fiebich scored eight in the third, only second on the Liberty to Stewart, with ten. Kayla McBride scored ten for the Lynx, but the Liberty ended the quarter with a five point lead, 65-60. The Liberty made 60% of their three-point attempts in the quarter.
Some back and forth to start the fourth had the Lynx within range to tie the game, but an eight point run in the middle between Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu seemed to seal the deal. Both teams subbed out with the Liberty up 87-68 and with just about 2:30 remaining. Try as they might, the Lynx bench just couldn’t cut the lead enough.
The Liberty won game one with a final score of 91-75. For a team that looked defeated last week, they sure did figure out a way to put up numbers.
Stewart noted that being able to “steal one” from the Lynx puts the Liberty in a good position, but the team also knows that they need to keep pushing and make adjustments to improve, specifically with turnovers.
The New York Liberty will host the Minnesota Lynx for game two of the first round on September 29 at 8:30 PM.
