Breanna Stewart, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton guide NY Liberty past Minnesota Lynx in WNBA Finals Game 2

NEW YORK – For the first time since July 6, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored 20 points, and she did so in a game where the New York Liberty desperately needed it.

“What ‘B’ brings is this grit, this toughness. She’s giving us whatever she’s got,” Liberty forward Breanna Stewart said.

“They were going under on her and she knocked that thing down with confidence. It was good to see her get into a good rhythm.”

Behind Laney-Hamilton’s breakout performance, and 21 points and a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Finals-record seven steals from Stewart, hosts New York evened the score against the Minnesota Lynx in the championship series.

They won 80-66 in Game 2 on Oct 13 in front of 18,046 fans – a record crowd for WNBA at the Barclays Centre.

Stewart also had eight rebounds and five assists, while shooting seven of 18 from the floor in a stat-stuffing performance.

Laney-Hamilton, a ninth-year forward, shot eight of 14 from the floor, including four of six from three-point land, and also had two rebounds and two assists.

The Liberty, who tied the best-of-five series at 1-1, also got 14 points and nine rebounds from Jonquel Jones and 15 points and five assists from Sabrina Ionescu.

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said Laney-Hamilton had not been 100 per cent healthy in the post-season, but on Oct 13, she provided a big boost.

“She was massive,” Brondello said. “They had been going under on screens, so we encouraged her to shoot the three. B helped us get this margin and win the game.”

Minnesota – who will host Game 3 on Oct 16 in Minneapolis – were led by 16 points from Napheesa Collier, 15 points from Courtney Williams and 14 points from Alanna Smith.

Much like in Game 1, the Liberty built a big lead early. Unlike the series opener, though, they did not surrender it.

New York led 31-21 after the first quarter, powered by 12 points and two assists from Ionescu.

In the second frame, the Liberty grew their lead to as many as 17 points with a 15-8 run that was capped off by a three-pointer from Laney-Hamilton.

The Lynx started chipping away in the second half.

With 3min 40sec left to play, Minnesota trimmed the deficit to two points when Williams sliced through the heart of the defence for a lay-up.

But, on the next possession, Laney-Hamilton responded with authority, swishing a three-pointer from the left wing.

After a Stewart free throw, Leonie Fiebich then knocked down a wide-open three-pointer – her only points of the game – in transition, to push New York’s lead back to nine points with 90 seconds remaining.

Those buckets were the beginning of a game-closing 12-0 run for New York. After Williams’ lay-up, the Lynx did not score for the remainder of the final period.

“Our pace was bad at a time when we really needed it. I’m disappointed we let it get to 17. I’m more than disappointed – I’m pissed,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said.

“This is a group that problem-solves well together. We put ourselves in position, just couldn’t get over the hump.”

A big difference between the two teams was three-point shooting, with the Liberty knocking down 11 shots from behind the arc on 24 attempts, while the Lynx shot six of 20.

The Liberty also won the rebounding battle 34-27 and scored 26 points off 20 Minnesota turnovers. REUTERS