2024 WNBA Finals: Liberty's Betnijah Laney-Hamilton providing spark while battling through injury

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- It's rare to see Betnijah Laney-Hamilton show emotions, but she did just that during a postgame interview on Sunday's broadcast of Game 2 of the WNBA Finals. Laney-Hamilton scored 20 points in the New York Liberty win, bested only by Breanna Stewart , who dropped 21 points.

After the performance, Laney-Hamilton reflected on what gave her the mental edge to produce her best offensive output this postseason.

"My teammates just continuing to trust in me as I was finding my way back to feeling myself, so I really appreciate them," Laney-Hamilton said.

Stewart, who was at Laney-Hamilton's side during her interview, offered up three loving pats to her teammate.

"What B brings is this grit, this toughness," Stewart said. "... She continued to be aggressive, they were going under on her (screens), and she knocked that thing down with confidence. Really happy to see her get into a good rhythm with everything that's been up and down this season and know that she's a big factor in everything we do."

It's no secret the New York Liberty guard has been dealing with injuries throughout the season. In fact, she missed nine games after the Olympic break to recover from a small procedure to her knee. Fans gasped when she collided with Liberty center Jonquel Jones during the semifinals series against Las Vegas.

Since then, Laney-Hamilton has been used strategically by New York coach Sandy Brondello, and mostly for her defense. The Rutgers alum scored just five points in the 95-93 overtime loss in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday.

At New York Liberty practice on Saturday, Laney-Hamilton's movements looked different, strained. "B wasn't moving good, I think you saw that," Brondello said Saturday in regard to why Laney-Hamilton was on the bench late in the overtime Game 1 loss.

Although her minutes are strategic, she has registered no fewer than 21 minutes throughout the 2024 playoff run for New York. Her offensive outputs have varied, with Sunday's performance doubling her best since Game 1 against Atlanta in the first round. Despite the consistency of the time logged, these have not been easy minutes for the eight-year veteran.

"Yeah, it's been tough, but I'm fighting through," Laney-Hamilton told CBS Sports on Saturday with a smile. "I'm trying to do each and every thing I can do out there so that we get the championship that we want."

One may wonder if Brondello and the Liberty coaching staff might limit Laney-Hamilton even more, especially knowing the series is going at least four games. On Sunday, the Liberty bench boss admitted Laney-Hamilton has been feeling better the last few days

"We knew it was going to take time. We've given her a bit of rest here and she was ready to go. She puts the work in, she's tough," Brondello said Sunday while pointing to her head, indicating her guard's mental grit.

"It's great that you can put the ball in her hand and (have her) be more of a playmaker because it takes the pressure off (Ionescu and Stewart) ... really happy for her," Brondello said. "Now we just have to freshen up and get ready for the next game."

For Laney-Hamilton, that includes placing trust in the training and medical staff to keep her going.

"They've been doing a great job with everything," Laney-Hamilton. "We've been doing a little bit of everything to try and get me feeling good."

It will be an ongoing project to keep her and the rest of the team feeling good as the series shifts to Minnesota for Game 3 and Game 4. And now that the Lynx have witnessed New York going to Laney-Hamilton when the defense goes under on screens, open looks for the 30-year-old Liberty guard could dry up by Game 3 Wednesday.

If that's the case, who can step up for New York to help the trio of Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones?

All-Rookie First Team member and Sixth Woman of the Year runner-up Leonie Fiebich could be the answer. Although the German Olympian only scored three points Sunday, her fourth-quarter 3-pointer was the injection of energy her team needed to close out Game 2.

Laney-Hamilton settled on Fiebich's breakaway 3 as the moment that fired her up in Game 2, and guard Courtney Vandersloot agreed.

"Huge, gutsy, I love it," Vandersloot said. "That was her only shot that she made (today), and it was a big one. That's the confidence she has and we believe in her. We're glad she took it, but that's gusty."

Fiebich has led the Liberty and all rookies in the plus-minus statistic all season, and tallied a +17 for second best in the game behind Ionescu.

"A 3-point shot is a layup for her," Brondello said about the Fiebich pull-up from the arc. "I love the confidence that she brings. I mean, we talk about her being a rookie, she's has this experience in really big moments, the mindset to handle this atmosphere extremely well, and to handle a play like that. I mean, she's an amazing player and an amazing human being."