Stewart's 34 Points Lead Liberty to Upset Game 1 Win Over Top-Seeded Lynx

MINNEAPOLIS -- 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 U.S. 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.

Nia Brodie led the Lynx with 16 points in 19 minutes off the bench and Kayla McBride had 14 points after missing her first five 3-point attempts. Collier and All-Star center Natasha Howard each fouled out, and star rookie Olivia Miles had a quiet postseason debut with 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting and just one assist.

New York hosts Game 2 on Tuesday with the opportunity to eliminate Minnesota, which must win to bring Game 3 back to Target Center on Thursday. The Lynx entered the postseason as heavy favorites to win the title at +115, per DraftKings. The Liberty, the preseason betting favorite, were 14-1 heading into Sunday.

The Liberty were as tough of an opponent as a team with the league's best regular-season record could face, finishing 26-18 and just two years removed from their first WNBA championship that came at the expense of the Lynx in a dramatic final that went the full five games.

The Liberty were ousted in the first round last season by the Phoenix Mercury , who then eliminated the top-seeded Lynx before losing to the Las Vegas Aces for the title.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/50045232/liberty-push-no-1-seed-lynx-brink-stunning-game-1-upset)._