The eighth seed New York Liberty faced the WNBA’s season toppers in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. However, the Liberty flipped the script in their 16-point win (91-75), shutting down the momentum the Lynx built by beating the Indiana Fever in their final regular-season game. While Sabrina Ionescu didn’t have a high-scoring game, the Liberty’s comfortable win showed that, unlike Minnesota, New York was ready for the challenge.
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Speaking about the win against the Lynx, Ionescu discussed the simple approach they are taking to maintain their dominant offense. Breanna Stewart is having her best year in the last three years, and Ionescu revealed what her job is to help the FIBA World Cup MVP shine.
“It’s reading the game… when Stewie’s as efficient as she is, my whole job is to try and get her to keep going, kind of go to the pick-and-roll until they can stop it, and they weren’t able to last game,” Ionescu told reporters on Tuesday, per Liberty’s beat writer Myles Ehrlich.
“So just finding different ways to get our best shot as an offense, and obviously, for me as a point guard, my whole job is to put us in the best position to win.”
In Game 1, Ionsecu scored 13 points and shot 4-of-14 from the field. However, she had 6 assists, choosing to feed her teammates. She was +12 despite her poor shooting in 28 minutes. Leonie Fiebich was one of the three players who scored in double digits. She scored 16 points and converted 6-of-7 of her field goals.
Breanna Stewart was guarded by 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier for most of the game. However, she was barely bothered in her rhythm, shooting 11-of-18 from the field in her 34-point performance. As Ionescu said after the game, Stewart is a “walking mismatch,” and she took full advantage of that. Stewart forced Minnesota to commit fouls. She made 10-of-12 free throws.
“We knew the shots that we were going to get,” Stewart said after the win. “We had a few days to really practice that and be intentional, and whenever we were able to draw two — kick it to the open person, and shoot it with confidence.”
But it wasn’t just offense. Stewart dominated both ends of the floor. She had 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 38 minutes.
New York started strong. They outscored the Lynx by 7 points in the opening quarter. But the Lynx responded, as the best team in the WNBA would. After a 26-15 scoring run, Minnesota built a 4-point lead going into halftime. In the following two quarters, the Lynx were held to just 16 and 15 points.
The Liberty and the Lynx have developed a kind of rivalry, especially after New York defeated Minnesota in the 2024 WNBA Finals. The Liberty have already taken a mental edge after winning Game 1 in Minnesota.
Stewart and the Liberty aren’t celebrating just yet. Last season’s first-round series disappointment is still fresh in their memory. The Liberty won Game 1 in Phoenix against the Mercury. But they lost Game 2 at Barclays Center and eventually lost the series 2-1, exiting in the first round.
However, the Liberty have gotten the better of the Lynx in the regular season. In their three clashes, New York won two against the Lynx. With the Game 1 win, the Liberty now have a 3-1 record against Minnesota in 2026.
Meanwhile, it is unlikely that they would play a similar game in a row, as they have already shown against the Fever in the final two regular-season games. While the Fever dominated the Lynx 96-77 in the first game, they responded by winning the second 86-66.
