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Jonquel Jones led New York Liberty with 21 points and 13 rebounds as they upset top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 87-71 in Game 2 of their WNBA playoff series on Tuesday night, advancing to the semi-finals. This historic victory makes the Liberty the first No. 8 seed ever to eliminate a No. 1 seed since the league’s inception 30 years ago. Breanna Stewart contributed with 21 points and Sabrina Ionescu added 18 for New York, while Courtney Williams scored 18 and Napheesa Collier had 14 for Minnesota.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-30,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The New York Liberty secured a shocking 91-75 victory over the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 of their best-of-three WNBA playoff series on Sunday, April 23, 2026. Despite finishing as the eighth seed with a record of 26-18, the Liberty's star player Breanna Stewart led the charge with an impressive performance of 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. The win puts the Liberty one game away from eliminating the previously undefeated Lynx, who must now win Game 2 to avoid being the first top-seeded team in history to fail to advance past the first round since a format change in 2022.
Stewart's clutch play was pivotal, as she scored crucial points and made key defensive plays against her former college teammate Napheesa Collier. The Liberty capitalized on multiple Lynx turnovers and foul trouble, with Collier and All-Star center Natasha Howard each fouling out of the game. Rookie Olivia Miles struggled in her first playoff appearance, scoring just 11 points.
With Game 2 scheduled for Tuesday, April 25, at home, the Liberty now hold a narrow advantage but remain wary of a potential Lynx comeback, as they narrowly escaped a similar situation last year against Phoenix. The Liberty’s defense was instrumental in limiting the Lynx's scoring opportunities and forcing turnovers that kept the game close until the final quarter when New York pulled away. Despite their historic lead, Stewart emphasized the need for continued focus to avoid being caught off guard by Minnesota's resilience.
Written for “Liberty-Lynx WNBA Playoff Matchup” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 13 other(s) covering the same event.
Jonquel Jones had 21 points and 13 rebounds and the No 8 seed New York Liberty beat the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 87-71 in Game 2 of their WNBA playoff series on Tuesday night to advance to the semi-finals.
asserted
seed → have → finals
Breanna Stewart added 21 points and Sabrina Ionescu had 18 to help the Liberty become the first No 8 seed to eliminate a No 1 seed in the league’s 30-year history.
asserted
Liberty → add → history
The WNBA has undergone a number of different playoff formats, and in many of them, it wasn’t possible for those seeds to match up.
asserted
seeds → undergo → them
However, in 2022 the league changed to the current iteration in which the top-eight teams play in the quarter-finals.
asserted
teams → change → finals
“I feel like we had an advantage in our size against them, and I wanted to make my impact early,” the 6ft 6in Jones said after the game.
asserted
Jones → feel → game
“If a shot is going up I felt like I had to be in the paint and set the tone for the night.”
asserted
I → go → night
Now, New York await the winner of the Atlanta-Washington series.
asserted
York → await → series
The Dream are up 1-0 and play at Washington on Wednesday night.
asserted
Dream → play → night
The semi-finals begin Sunday.
asserted
finals → begin → ?
A year after losing in the first round to Phoenix after going up 1-0 in that series, New York were determined to avoid a repeat.
asserted
York → lose → repeat
The Liberty were up five points after one quarter, and scored nine of the final 11 points in the second quarter to go up 49-37 at the break.
asserted
Liberty → score → break
New York were up 52-39 with 6:26 left in the third when Stewart drove to the basket and was hit in the face by Olivia Miles as she tried to block the shot.
asserted
she → leave → shot
Stewart was down for a minute as the officials reviewed the play and upgraded the play to a Flagrant-1 foul.
asserted
officials → review → foul
As Stewart walked off the court, she raised her hands to the sellout crowd of 17,593, who serenaded her with “M-V-P” chants.
asserted
who → walk → chants
Stewart hit both free throws.
asserted
Stewart → hit → throws
Minnesota couldn’t get closer than seven points the rest of the way.
asserted
Minnesota → get → way
The Lynx’s season ends in disappointment again.
asserted
season → end → disappointment
The Lynx had the best regular-season record, but couldn’t put it together against New York.
asserted
Lynx → have → York
On Monday, Cheryl Reeve won the league’s Coach of the Year and Miles was a unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year.
asserted
Miles → win → Year
Miles struggled in both games against New York.
asserted
Miles → struggle → York
She had five points, missing seven of her eight shots in 17 minutes, on Tuesday night and was benched for most of the second-half.
asserted
She → have → half
The Liberty’s size and ability to protect the rim bothered the stellar first-year player.
asserted
size → protect → player
During the regular season, Miles averaged 19.8 points and 6.0 assists.
asserted
Miles → average → points
Courtney Williams scored 18 points and Napheesa Collier added 14 to lead the Lynx.
asserted
Collier → score → Lynx
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