No. 8 Liberty Sweep Top-Seeded Lynx in Historic WNBA Upset

The New York Liberty, the No. 8 seed, eliminated the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 87-71 on Tuesday night, completing a two-game sweep of their WNBA first-round series and becoming the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed since the WNBA's founding three decades ago.¹²³⁵

A historic breakthrough

The result marked the first time a No. 8 seed has eliminated a No. 1 seed since the WNBA's history began, and the first such upset since the league adopted its current playoff format in 2022, under which the top eight teams enter the quarter-finals.¹²³⁵

Minnesota had finished the regular season 33-11, giving it the best record in the league and the No. 1 seed for the second straight season, according to CBS Sports. The series was also a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals, which New York won, according to the Japan Times.⁶⁴

Liberty control from start to finish

New York led by five points after the first quarter and, according to the Star Tribune, controlled the game from beginning to end. With 2:39 remaining in the first half, New York was ahead 40-35, and the Liberty closed the quarter by scoring nine of the final 11 points to enter halftime up 49-37.¹²⁵⁷

By the 6:26 mark of the third quarter, New York's lead had grown to 52-39, and Minnesota never came within fewer than seven points again. The Japan Times reported that New York held the lead throughout the contest, at one point building a 19-point advantage in the final period.¹²⁵⁴

Jonquel Jones scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for New York. Jones said New York's size advantage over Minnesota was something she wanted to exploit right away, If a shot is going up I felt like I had to be in the paint and set the tone for the night," Jones said. Breanna Stewart added 21 points, and Sabrina Ionescu scored 18 points with seven assists.¹

For Minnesota, Courtney Williams scored 18 points, Napheesa Collier had 14 points, and Kayla McBride added 14. According to CBS Sports, the Lynx shot 38.2 percent from the field as a team in Game 2.²⁵⁶

A flashpoint foul

Rookie Olivia Miles, the WNBA's unanimous Rookie of the Year, struggled against New York's size, scoring five points on one-of-eight shooting in 17 minutes. During the third quarter she was issued a flagrant-1 foul for hitting Breanna Stewart in the face while attempting to block a shot; Stewart made both resulting free throws, and Miles was later benched, according to CBS Sports.¹²⁵⁴

"Liberty's size and ability to protect the rim bothered the stellar first-year player," the Globe and Mail reported. A sellout crowd chanted "M-V-P" for Stewart during the game.²¹³

Awards and what comes next

Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve won the WNBA's Coach of the Year award, and Olivia Miles was named the unanimous Rookie of the Year, honours announced around the time of the series. ESPN reported that Reeve's award was presented on Monday, a day before the deciding Game 2.¹²³⁵

New York advances to the semifinals, which begin on Sunday, where it will face the winner of the series between the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics; Atlanta led that series 1-0.²³⁵⁶