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Sep 24, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates with forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Dream at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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Sep 24, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates with forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Dream at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Despite making it to the finals five times, the New York Liberty has never finished first. But this time, it seems the fate could be a little different from the past. Thanks to the Liberty’s standout roster featuring Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, who have gone all the way to break records this postseason. While Ionescu tied the franchise playoff record after hitting 36 points during a 91-82 win against the Atlanta Dream, for Stewart, her moment came in Game 2 of the finals against the Lynx.
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With her 21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 7 steals, she became the first player in WNBA Finals history to record over 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals in a single game. Yet, neither Stewart nor Ionescu seem satisfied. In Game 3 of the finals, the two 2024 Olympic gold medalists managed to surpass Crystal Robinson, now an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky.
Ionescu shattered Robinson’s record for the most threes made by a Liberty player in the playoffs, scoring 63 three-pointers across 4 postseason appearances. 3 in today’s game. Meanwhile, Stewart surpassed Robinson’s record for field goals made, bringing the tally to 134 field goals with 9 in today’s game. Stewart also passed Seimone Augustus for 8th place on the WNBA’s all-time postseason scoring list with her 992 points.
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However, they aren’t the only threats to Robinson’s records which she had set across her 6 post-season appearances with the Liberty.
WNBA stat watch (Playoffs edition):
– Kayla McBride is 4 made threes behind Seimone Augustus (38 – 2nd in Lynx history)
– Breanna Stewart is 4 made field goals behind Crystal Robinson (129 – 2nd in Liberty history)— Across the Timeline (@WBBTimeline) October 16, 2024
Next up is Leonie Fiebich, who hit her 8th three-pointer of the WNBA Finals to pass the Sky’s assistant coach’s record for most three-pointers made by a Liberty rookie in Finals history. For Fiebich, the 22nd pick in the WNBA draft, the task was quite smooth, as she already boasts a staggering 50.9% three-point shooting percentage this postseason.
All the excellence on the court seems pre-planned.
While record-breaking appeared effortless for Stewart, who had 30 points in 33 minutes of gameplay, Ionescu struggled to score. Despite playing 29 minutes, she only had 7 points. She needed just two more threes to surpass Robinson’s record in this game. Additionally, if she had reached 11 assists in this matchup, she could have broken Vickie Johnson’s record of 121 assists—the second most in Liberty’s playoff history.
However, Ionescu had only six assists in 31 minutes of play. While it might not have been an ideal day for her, her teammate Fiebich stepped up, scoring 13 points in 33 minutes. That was enough to secure a 77-80 win for the Liberty over the Lynx in Game 3. Now, the Liberty holds a 2-1 edge in the series.
In fact, the team has proven the two-time defending champions’ coach right. “They’ve been the best team all year. Let’s be real… Their group earned it. They earned it all year,” said Aces head coach Becky Hammon to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. Despite losing the first game, the Liberty has it all—an edge over the Lynx and several individual records broken. But they are still one step away from their ultimate goal.
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Edited by
Shivatmika Manvi