Only a few days after a letdown Sport 1 loss to the Lynx, it was the Liberty who pulled away on the finish to tie up the WNBA Finals with an 80-66 win. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was the hero on this one — exploding for a season-high 20 factors — because the Liberty secured a Sport 2 win with the sequence heading again to Minnesota.
“I believed we introduced the vitality,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello stated on the half. “If we hold trusting one another, nice issues will occur.”
They caught collectively, and the remaining was historical past.
Right here’s how every starter fared on this one, Participant Grade fashion.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton: A
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton had her greatest recreation of the postseason, only a day after her coach instructed reporters she wasn’t 100%.
“She’s giving no matter she will,” Brondello stated, per The Subsequent’s Jackie Powell. “I feel everybody can see that she’s attempting. It’s not the identical B that we’ve seen all season lengthy, however it’s what it’s.”
Laney-Hamilton completed with 20 factors on 8-14 taking pictures, together with 4-6 from three.
“Man, that shot lastly kicked in,” Laney-Hamilton stated to Holly Rowe forward of the fourth quarter, seemingly referencing some ache administration. “The staff had been doing all the things to assist get me feeling by greatest.”
Breanna Stewart: A-
Breanna Stewart responded nicely to a Sport 1 loss that noticed her miss each a free throw and a layup on the buzzer. She completed the night time with 21 factors, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and a WNBA Finals-record 7 steals. Stewart wasn’t environment friendly offensively — she shot 7-18 from the sector and racked up 5 turnovers — however did sufficient throughout the board to positively affect the sport.
“What we simply proceed to maintain saying to at least one one other is ‘keep collectively, hold enjoying, each rebound issues.”
Breanna Stewart on the distinction between Sport 1 and Sport 2: pic.twitter.com/L4IDFNEMgP
— New York Liberty Movies (@SNYLiberty) October 13, 2024
Jonquel Jones: B+
Jonquel Jones posted 14 factors, 9 rebounds , and a couple of steals on this one. She wasn’t as dominant as she was in Sport 1, however nonetheless did what she needed to do on this one. There have been moments that, with Napheesa Collier sidelined, it appeared that Jones could possibly be extra aggressive. Nonetheless, she led each groups in rebounding.
Leonie Fiebich: A-
Leonie Fiebich acquired the Courtney Williams defensive project, and her size was noticeably disruptive all through the sport. Fiebich was uncharacteristically quiet offensively — she tried simply three photographs all night time — however she hit her greatest try of the sport, a three-pointer with 90 seconds to play that gave the Liberty a 9-point lead. Fiebich was additionally a +17 on the night time.
Sabrina Ionescu: B+
Sabrina Ionescu exploded for 12 first-quarter factors, however scored simply 3 factors the remainder of the way in which. However, it was what the Liberty wanted on this one. Her 9 shot makes an attempt marked a pointy distinction from her 26 makes an attempt in Sport 1, however her giving up the rock truly opened issues up for the Liberty, as 4 gamers posted at the very least 14 factors within the win.
Nonetheless, Sabrina Ionescu completed the night time with a game-high +20, and oftentimes, deferring to others proved advantageous for a Liberty staff that discovered a very good rhythm down the stretch.
Bridget Carleton: B-
Bridget Carleton’s three-point struggles continued with a 2/6 efficiency in Sport 2. Carleton has now made simply 5 of her final 25 makes an attempt from downtown. Carleton completed with 8 factors, 4 rebounds, and three assists on this one, and although she almost matched her common season common.
Napheesa Collier: B-
Napheesa Collier has been glorious defensively on this sequence, and she or he was a giant a part of why Breanna Stewart struggled offensively once more tonight. Collier was nonetheless environment friendly offensively on this one — she made 7-12 shot makes an attempt — however acquired in foul hassle within the third quarter and the Lynx struggled with out her. Collier’s 16-point outing was greater than 10 factors beneath her postseason common of 26.4 factors, and on an evening when no different Lynx participant actually had it going, her output merely wasn’t sufficient.
Courtney Williams: B
Courtney Williams confirmed the identical flashes of brilliance that catapulted the Lynx to victory in Sport 1. However, she made a number of key errors down the stretch, together with dribbling off her foot with 1:30 to play, a sequence that resulted in a wide-open Leonie Fiebich three-pointer. Williams completed with 15 factors on 7-14 taking pictures, 6 rebounds, and a playoff career-high 8 assists. She additionally turned the ball over 5 instances, and wasn’t in a position to recreate the magic of Sport 1 with the clock winding down.
Alanna Smith: A-
Alanna Smith was the one starter to complete the sport with a optimistic +/-. Smith completed with 14 factors on 6-9 taking pictures, 2 assists, and a couple of rebounds. The rebounding left a bit to be desired — the Liberty out-rebounded the Lynx 34-27 — however Smith was a optimistic offensively, and continued her efficient defensive efforts as nicely.
Kayla McBride: C+
Kayla McBride present simply 3-9 from the sector and completed with 8 factors in Sport 2, nicely beneath her common season common of 15 factors. On an evening by which Napheesa Collier discovered herself in foul hassle, and Courtney Williams didn’t have it going fairly as a lot as her earlier two outings, a much bigger McBride efficiency would have been large for the Lynx. As an alternative, she had one in every of her quieter performances of the postseason. McBride was tied with Williams for the worst plus-minus of any starter, a -9.
