Brooklyn, N.Y. — The New York Liberty have turned the opening round of the WNBA playoffs into a historic statement.
Behind another dominant performance from their veteran core, the eighth-seeded Liberty eliminated the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx with an 87-71 victory Tuesday night at Barclays Center, completing a two-game sweep and becoming the first No. 8 seed in WNBA history to eliminate a No. 1 seed.
New York entered the postseason as the lowest-seeded team in the playoff field, but the Liberty have quickly erased any concerns about their seeding. After defeating Minnesota 91-75 in Game 1, New York returned home and delivered another convincing performance to end the Lynx’s season.
Jonquel Jones was at the center of the victory, finishing with 21 points and 13 boards. Breanna Stewart also scored 21 points, while Sabrina Ionescu chipped in 18 as New York controlled the game for long stretches.
The Liberty now advance to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the Atlanta-Washington series.
For New York, the accomplishment is about more than simply advancing.
It represents a dramatic turnaround from last season, when the Liberty won their opening playoff game against Phoenix before being eliminated in the first round. This time, New York refused to allow history to repeat itself.
The Liberty established control early Tuesday, building a five-point advantage after the opening period. They continued to pressure Minnesota throughout the second quarter before closing the half with a decisive run.
New York scored nine of the final 11 points before halftime, transforming a five-point game into a 49-37 Liberty advantage.
From there, Minnesota never found the sustained offensive rhythm necessary to mount a comeback.
The Lynx managed to cut the deficit to seven points at one stage, but New York consistently responded whenever Minnesota threatened to make the game competitive.
A pivotal moment came midway through the third quarter.
With New York leading 52-39, Stewart drove toward the basket and was struck in the face by Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles while attempting to block the shot. Stewart remained on the floor for approximately a minute as officials reviewed the play before determining that Miles’ foul should be upgraded to a flagrant foul 1.
Stewart calmly converted both free throws.
As she headed toward the sideline, she raised her hands toward the sellout crowd of 17,593 at Barclays Center. The response was immediate as fans began chanting, “M-V-P!”
The moment captured the confidence surrounding a Liberty team that has looked increasingly comfortable as the postseason has progressed.
New York’s physicality and size also created problems for Minnesota throughout the series.
Miles, who had been one of the Lynx’s most important contributors during their outstanding regular season, struggled to find her offensive rhythm against the Liberty. She scored only five points Tuesday, going 1-for-8 from the field in 17 minutes.
Minnesota’s defense also had difficulty slowing down New York’s collection of experienced stars.
Courtney Williams led the Lynx with 18 points, while Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride each finished with 14.
But the Lynx could not overcome New York’s combination of size, experience and offensive balance.
“We understand who we are as a team,” Jones said. “We’re not listening to outside noise. We understand that we can do a lot of great things.”
Jones added that the Liberty believe they can compete with anyone remaining in the postseason.
“We feel like we can play with anybody and beat anybody,” she said. “That’s the mindset we have moving forward.”
For Minnesota, the loss brought an abrupt end to a season in which the Lynx posted the league’s best regular-season record.
The defeat was especially difficult because Minnesota had entered the postseason with home-court advantage throughout the early rounds. Instead, New York quickly seized control of the matchup by winning both games.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve also had to watch her rookie point guard struggle under the pressure of the Liberty defense.
Reeve, who was named the WNBA’s Coach of the Year on Monday, offered encouragement to Miles following the elimination.
“As I told her, when was the last time a rookie led the first-place team? Never happened before,” Reeve said.
For the Liberty, however, the focus has already shifted toward the next challenge.
New York’s historic victory gives the franchise another opportunity to make a deep postseason run. The Liberty have already demonstrated that their No. 8 seed does not define them.
They eliminated the team with the league’s best regular-season record.
Now they move on to the semifinals with their confidence growing and the rest of the WNBA watching.
The historic part is complete.
The Liberty believe the bigger opportunity is still ahead.
