It would’ve been poetic if Breanna Stewart had been the one to save the Liberty’s season, the one who single-handedly plucked them out of a 12-point deficit to avoid a 2-0 series deficit.
The script would’ve been sensible. It was Stewart who clutched the MVP trophy at the Barclays Center logo pregame.
She was the superstar on the superteam and, on most occasions, the offense went as far as she guided it.
But the Sun found a way to contain Stewart.
She didn’t record a field goal in the first half and finished with just 11 points — far from the nucleus of the offense’s epiphany.
Instead, a balanced performance alongside their star from Betnijah Laney (20 points), Sabrina Ionescu (21 points) and Courtney Vandersloot (19 points) helped defeat the Sun, 84-77, to even the playoff series at a game apiece as it shifts to Connecticut.
“We knew we had to win this game, to win on our home court,” head coach Sandy Brondello said. “You could see a very connected team today.”
Sabrina Ionescu celebrates during the Liberty’s Game 2 win on Tuesday night. Michelle Farsi for New York PostStewart had predicted it.
Opponents could stick with the Liberty for portions of games — sometimes a quarter, sometimes a half, sometimes even three quarters — but eventually, and most of the time, the Liberty had enough firepower to go on that one game-changing burst that produced insurmountable leads.
After struggling offensively for the first five quarters of their series with the Suns, the Liberty offense finally resembled the prolific unit it had been during the regular season.
They had three consecutive 20-point quarters for the first time since Game 1 of their first-round series, and a 13-5 run to start the fourth quarter Tuesday helped build a stable lead and overcome a season-best 30 points from Connecticut’s Tiffany Hayes.
Breanna Stewart blocks a shot against the Sun on Tuesday night Michelle Farsi for New York PostThere was plenty of emotion behind the game, too. When Stewart took the MVP award over Alyssa Thomas, even with Connecticut’s forward receiving more first-place votes, it led to an emotional day, Hayes and DeWanna Bonner said.
It was a “double whammy” earlier when Thomas didn’t win defensive player of the year either, Bonner added.
The Sun played for Thomas on Tuesday, Bonner and Hayes said. They tried to channel what happened and turn it into a performance that’d generate a commanding series lead.
And after Jonquel Jones scored the Liberty’s first seven points, Hayes exploded for 12 points in the first quarter and the Sun went on a 21-6 run that built their largest advantage.
Still, the Liberty pulled within four by halftime. Their offense hadn’t found a sustainable rhythm, but they remained within striking distance. Laney halted the Connecticut run, and then the Liberty kept drawing shooting fouls — two by Ionescu, one by Stewart — to keep the score within two possessions.
And when the Liberty needed a spark in the second half, they turned to Laney — the 29-year-old former All-Star more known for her defensive role that took the ball out of her hands on offense — to hit the pivotal shots.
Her 3-pointer to start the third quarter gave the Liberty their first lead since the final minutes of the opening frame.
She hit another 3 later to increase their lead to seven, and after one of her four 3s in the second half, she cracked a smile.
That one, she knew, was the dagger.
Sabrina Ionescu handles the ball against Tiffany Hayes in the Liberty’s win over the Sun in Game 2 on Tuesday. Michelle Farsi/New York Post“That’s what we needed and that’s what they gave me,” Laney said. “We had to take advantage of every opportunity.”
Even though Tuesday was labeled a must-win game by the Liberty, they still had some — though hardly any — margin for error.
A loss would’ve changed everything, and required wins Friday, Sunday and Tuesday in order to advance to the WNBA finals, which at times during the regular season appeared to be a formality.
Betnijah Laney smiles after hitting a 3-pointer against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday. APLaney’s 15 second-half points, as well as the contributions from Ionescu, gave the Liberty a window to save their season.
They switched to zone — something they hadn’t practiced much, Ionescu said — and that helped shut down the Connecticut offense.
And after taking a bit of time, the Liberty played with the pace and movement they wanted on offense, too.
Everything, finally, had started to click.
“We expected them to come out and throw a punch,” Sun head coach Stephanie White said, “and they did.”
