Transcript: New York Liberty 87, Minnesota Lynx 71. Liberty outlast top-seeded Lynx behind Stewart and Jones.
The story
New York controlled this one from the start, winning the first quarter 26-21 and extending the lead to 49-37 by halftime. Minnesota stayed close in the third, tying it 19-19, but the Liberty pulled away in the fourth. An 8-0 run sealed it. Jonquel Jones led the way with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Breanna Stewart added 21 points. Sabrina Ionescu ran the offense with 7 assists. For Minnesota, Courtney Williams had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, but the Lynx couldn't find enough scoring elsewhere to keep pace.
2Jones dominated the glass with 13 rebounds while scoring 21 points. Her 9 field goals and work inside gave New York the interior presence it needed to control the game from start to finish.
The stat line
The stat line
| New York Liberty | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breanna Stewart | 21 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Jonquel Jones | 21 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Sabrina Ionescu | 18 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Marine Johannes | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leonie Fiebich | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Han Xu | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Pauline Astier | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Rebekah Gardner | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rebecca Allen | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Minnesota Lynx | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtney Williams | 18 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kayla McBride | 14 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Napheesa Collier | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Nia Brodie | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Aari McDonald | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Olivia Miles | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Natasha Howard | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Dorka Juhasz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Maya Caldwell | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
