New York Liberty sets franchise record in Game 2 of WNBA Finals

A record-breaking capacity crowd headed into Barclays Center to witness the New York Liberty overcome the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals as they avenged their series opener loss .

The hosts earned a 80-66 win in Game 2, with Breanna Stewart providing a virtuoso performance with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and seven steals. With fellow former UConn star Napheesa Collier having proven so effective for the Lynx two days earlier , the Liberty power forward teammate was tasked with minimizing her impact this time around.

The Minnesota superstar tallied up 16 points, 8 rebounds and 7 turnovers on the night but her efforts were to no avail as New York tied the series 1-1. Some 18,046 spectators packed into the Brooklyn venue, with this turnout setting a new record for the Liberty as WNBA fever continues to abound.

Reflecting on a memorable outing, the aforementioned Stewart admitted that she quickly put the Game 1 loss to the Lynx behind her as she looked to put things right. Revealing her state of mind after the victory, she said: "The moment the game ended Thursday, I was looking forward to Sunday.

"It was like [in Game 1] we kinda slowed down to a pace that is a little bit awkward for us. We want to play fast. We want to move the ball. We want to get downhill. We want to score, obviously. So making sure that no matter what, we continue to play fast. We get good shots. And we get that defense moving.”

After the Liberty's biggest crowd since they started playing at Barclays Center in 2021, Stewart was looking forward to playing in front of enthusiastic fans again in Games 3 and 4. Ahead of those clashes at Target Center, she said: "We embrace it; we like it when it's loud, when it's difficult.

Follow us on X for the best and latest in sports news

"We embrace it; we like it when it's loud, when it's difficult. Hopefully it's going to be an incredible atmosphere for both of those games. [It's about] not getting too high or too low; things are going to seem bigger than they are because they are playing at home. I'm sure Minny said the same thing when they're playing here."

New York guard Courtney Vandersloot was duly impressed with teammate Stewart's contributions in Game 2 as she put in a masterclass to earn her team the victory. She added: "She was all over the floor, just wreaking havoc on everything, was in the gaps, and making things hard [for the Lynx].

"When you have your best player, your leader, playing as hard as she does, night in and night out and impacting the game in different ways -- not just scoring and rebounding ... she's doing other things -- it's a big motivator for everybody and she sets the standard for us."