Key Takeaways
- New York Liberty beat Minnesota Lynx 87-71 in Game 2 to complete a 2-0 sweep and become the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in WNBA history.
- Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart each scored 21 points, while Sabrina Ionescu added 18 points and seven assists.
- After the sweep, fans on X called for the WNBA opening round to expand from best-of-three to best-of-five.
Playoff season is already delivering never-before-seen moments.
The New York Liberty became the first No. 8 seed in WNBA history to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the opening round, completing a 2-0 sweep of the Minnesota Lynx with an 87-71 victory Tuesday (Sept. 29) night. The win sent New York to the semifinals and proved that its regular-season seeding didn’t tell the whole story.
“We know we’re not a traditional eight seed. We understand once the playoffs come, it’s a new season,” Sabrina Ionescu told The Associated Press. “We have more to do.”
Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones made sure the Liberty’s run continued. Jones finished Game 2 with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Stewart added 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Ionescu contributed 18 points, seven assists and four 3-pointers. Together, the trio scored or assisted on 70 of New York’s points — just one fewer than Minnesota scored as a team.
“We have bigger goals we want to accomplish,” Ionescu added. “Tonight we took steps in the right direction. Our best basketball is yet to come. We know there’s so much better basketball to be played.”
Why do WNBA fans want a longer first round?
New York’s history-making performance also sparked another conversation: Is a best-of-three series enough for the opening round? Under the 2026 format, the higher seed hosts Games 1 and 3, if necessary, while the lower seed gets Game 2 at home. The semifinals expand to a best-of-five series, followed by a best-of-seven WNBA Finals.
Following the Liberty’s sweep, several fans on X called for the first round to get the same best-of-5 treatment. “The WNBA really needs to switch to [a] 5-game series for the first round. We’re being robbed of great basketball,” Kylen Mills posted.
Another user, @NotRealJC, wrote, “WNBA gotta go to best-of-5 format in the first round, man,” while @ChuckModi1 added, “If WNBA increased the first round to a five-game series, no one would object.”
“Why does the WNBA still have [a] three-game series in the first round! Like what! Go five games each round! #WNBA,” @Big_Ran14 questioned.
See more reactions below:
The format debate aside, New York handled the series it was given — and made league history doing it. Now, the No. 8 seed is moving on with another championship in its sights.