Liberty even WNBA Finals behind Breanna Stewart's lockdown defense

Late in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals, Breanna Stewart reminded fans why she's been on the All-Defensive first team each of the last three seasons.

Stewart set an WNBA Finals record with seven steals in the New York Liberty's 80-66 win over the Minnesota Lynx. That's more than any woman in WNBA history and ties Robert Horry's record for steals in any NBA/WNBA Finals game.

She saved her biggest defensive efforts for late in the game, stealing the ball three times in the final five minutes as New York ended the game on a 12-0 run to hold the Lynx scoreless over the last 3:40. Sunday's win evened the Finals at 1-1 with the series heading to Minnesota for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Stewart did it all on both ends of the court for the Liberty, though, leading all scorers with 21 points while adding eight rebounds and five assists (tied with teammate Sabrina Ionescu). She made two three-pointers, but it was her seven steals and one block that really shut down the Lynx after they rallied to within two points late.

The Liberty got a surprisingly big scoring game from Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who poured in 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting.

Laney-Hamilton's surprise contributions helped make up for a quiet second half from Ionescu, who scored her lone point after halftime with a free throw in the final seconds. The 2022 All-Star attempted only one shot after intermission, but she did help the Liberty hold Minnesota to only 27 second-half points.

Napheesa Collier had another strong game for the Lynx, putting up 16 point and eight rebounds, plus four steals of her own. Collier constantly forced jump balls with quick hands on defense, while Game 1 hero Courtney Williams chipped in 15 points. But the two also combined for 12 of the Lynx's 20 turnovers.

That was one of three biggest factors in New York's Game 2 win. Minnesota turned the ball over four more times than New York. It also couldn't match the Liberty's outside shooting. The Lynx shot 6-for-20 while the Liberty hit 11 of their 24 three-point attempts, including a ridiculous heat-check three from rookie Leonie Fiebich on a 3-on-1 fast break.

The other big factor in the Liberty's win? Controlling the boards. Jonquel Jones led the way with nine rebounds, the biggest one coming after the Lynx got within two points late in the final quarter. Jones rebounded a Stewart miss and pass it back out to give the Liberty some breathing room.

Overall, Jones had six points and three boards in the final quarter. Paired with Stewart, she made the lane a very difficult place for the Lynx to score late.

The Liberty once again gave up a big run after taking a double-digit lead in the final quarter. Unlike in Game 1, though, their defense and rebounding slammed the door on the Lynx's comeback attempt to tied up what's been a surprisingly competitive WNBA Finals.