Minnesota tops New York to keep alive hopes of getting top overall seed in WNBA playoffs

NEW YORK, NY-  The Minnesota Lynx have had the upper hand over the New York Liberty this season, securing victories in two of their three regular-season matchups as well as the Commissioner’s Cup final. On Sunday, the Lynx appeared to be on track for a comfortable win against New York, but they had to fend off a fierce fourth-quarter comeback spearheaded by Breanna Stewart to prevail 88-79. This win kept Minnesota’s hopes alive for securing the top seed in the playoffs.

If both teams advance, they could face each other again only in the WNBA Finals. The Lynx need to win their final two games and hope for losses from New York to claim the top seed. Currently, Minnesota (29-9) trails the Liberty (31-7) in the standings but has extended its lead over the Connecticut Sun for the No. 2 seed. The Lynx now have a two-game lead over the Sun, who lost to Las Vegas later that day. Connecticut and Minnesota will meet for the final time in the regular season on Tuesday, with the Sun holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.

In Sunday’s game, Breanna Stewart delivered a stellar performance despite the loss, scoring 38 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, including 17 points in the fourth quarter. The Lynx initially built a significant lead, going up 52-39 at halftime. They then opened the second half with a 11-0 run, leading 74-50 heading into the fourth quarter.

Stewart’s impressive effort brought the Liberty back into the game, narrowing the deficit to 80-72 with 5:30 remaining and energizing the sellout crowd. However, Kayla McBride responded with a crucial three-pointer to restore the Lynx’s double-digit lead. Despite New York’s best efforts, they couldn’t close the gap further and fell short.

Minnesota shot 55% from the field in the first half, consistently converting opportunities even when New York’s defense seemed to be effective. The Lynx also held the Liberty to 39% shooting, improving to 14-1 this season when keeping opponents under 40% from the field. Overall, Minnesota has a strong record of 164-8 since 2011 when achieving this defensive benchmark.

Before the game, the Liberty paid tribute to the NYU women’s basketball team, who had an undefeated season and won the Division III national championship last spring.