NEW YORK LIBERTY BEAT MINNESOTA LYNX IN PLAYOFF GAME 1

The New York Liberty defeated the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 91-75 to take Game 1 of their best-of-three WNBA first-round playoff series, according to a Guardian report. Breanna Stewart scored 34 points and took 12 rebounds for the Liberty, adding six assists, two steals and two blocks while shooting 11 of 18 from the floor. Stewart, a two-time league MVP, was guarded for much of the game by her friend and former college teammate Napheesa Collier, the 2024 WNBA defensive player of the year. Nia Brodie scored 16 points in 19 minutes off the bench for the Lynx, while Kayla McBride added 14 points after missing her first five three-point attempts. Both Collier and Lynx All-Star centre Natasha Howard fouled out, and rookie Olivia Miles managed 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting with one assist.

The report notes Stewart has the second-highest postseason scoring average of any player in WNBA history and was two points short of the Liberty's franchise record for a playoff game. It also states Stewart recently helped the United States national team win a fifth consecutive World Cup. The Lynx finished the regular season with the league's best record, while the Liberty finished 26-18. The two teams met in the WNBA final two years ago, a five-game series won by the Liberty for their first championship, according to the report.

The Liberty will host Game 2 in New York on Tuesday, with the chance to eliminate the Lynx from the playoffs, the report says. Minnesota must win that game to force a deciding Game 3 at Target Centre on Thursday. The report also recalls that the Liberty were eliminated in last season's first round by the Phoenix Mercury, who then knocked out the top-seeded Lynx before losing the title to the Las Vegas Aces.