Liberty win Game 1 to put top-seeded Lynx on brink of WNBA playoff exit

Breanna Stewart scored 34 points with 12 rebounds

Lynx face must-win Game 2 in New York on Tuesday

Breanna Stewart produced yet another clutch performance in the WNBA playoffs with 34 points and 12 rebounds for the New York Liberty in a 91-75 victory over the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx to open their best-of-three first-round series on Sunday.

Stewart, the two-time league MVP, added six assists, two steals and two blocks. She shot 11 for 18 from the floor with her friend and former college teammate Napheesa Collier, the 2024 WNBA defensive player of the year, guarding her most of the afternoon.

Stewart, who recently helped the US national team win a fifth consecutive World Cup, has the second-highest postseason scoring average by any player in league history. She was two short of the Liberty franchise record for points in a playoff game.