Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – The Minnesota Lynx’s season is over, and it ended in a way no top seed in WNBA history has ever experienced.
The eighth-seeded New York Liberty finished off a two-game sweep Tuesday night, beating the Lynx 87-71 at Barclays Center. Minnesota is the first top seed ever to lose a playoff series to an eighth seed.
It’s a stunning finish for a team that looked built to win a title. The Lynx posted the league’s best record at 33-11, Cheryl Reeve was named WNBA Coach of the Year, and Olivia Miles took home Rookie of the Year honors.
None of that carried over to the series. New York opened Game Two on a 9-1 run, and Minnesota never led. Every time the Lynx chipped away, the Liberty had an answer, and the lead grew to as many as 19.
Courtney Williams led Minnesota with 18 points and eight rebounds. Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride added 14 points apiece. Miles had a rough night, scoring five points on one-of-eight shooting.
New York’s stars did the damage. Jonquel Jones had 21 points and 13 rebounds, Breanna Stewart scored 21, and Sabrina Ionescu added 18. The Liberty also dominated inside, outscoring the Lynx 44-28 in the paint.
The series was a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals, when New York beat Minnesota in five games to win its first championship. The Liberty took Game One of this series 91-75 in Minneapolis behind 34 points from Stewart.
New York moves on to the semifinals, where it will face the winner of the Atlanta-Washington series.
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