Liberty’s Breanna Stewart shocks Lynx with stats never before seen in the WNBA

1 month ago 15

As Breanna Stewart goes, so too does the New York Liberty.

And Stewart's genius on Sunday put the Liberty on the verge of the WNBA semifinals.

Stewart dropped a playoff masterpiece in Minneapolis' Target Center to lead the eighth-seeded Liberty to a stunning Game 1 upset of the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx.

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Stewart scored 34 points and hauled in 10 rebounds as New York -- plagued by inconsistency all season -- stormed to a 91-75 road win to go up 1-0 in the best-of-three first-round series.

Breanna Stewart in win at Lynx:

34 PTS
12 REB
6 AST
2 STL
2 BLK

A line never before seen in WNBA playoff history.

Liberty take Game 1 on the road. pic.twitter.com/fXu3bfuT02

— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) September 27, 2026

Now the Liberty return home for Game 2 on Tuesday, where another victory will send New York to the semifinals.

The Liberty got off to a quick start and led for most of Sunday's game. New York held Olivia Miles, Napheesa Collier and the high-powered Lynx offense to just 41.8 percent shooting. Minnesota scored only 31 points in the second half, and Miles -- an MVP candidate as a rookie -- had a 1-to-4 assist-turnover ratio.

But the game's real story centers on Stewart, the two-time MVP and three-time WNBA champion in an unfamiliar position: as the underdog.

Stewart scored 30 or more points for the ninth time in her playoff career, and she posted a line that the league has never seen before in the postseason. In addition to her 34-point, 10-rebound double-double, Stewart added six assists and four stocks to complete a comprehensive showing.

STEWIE WE ARE HONORED TO WITNESS THIS pic.twitter.com/LQNVh3JaGW

— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) September 27, 2026

The Liberty are one win away from sending the Lynx home early, and they'll have a chance to do it in front of their fans in Brooklyn on Tuesday. Because, in the words of Candace Parker, the Lynx forgot Stewart was about this.