WATCH: Breanna Stewart helps New York Liberty to win Game 2 and tie the WNBA Finals series

Breanna Stewart scored 21 points and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored 20 as the New York Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx 80-66 in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday. The series is now knotted at one following the victory.  Similar to how it happened in Game 1, New York led by ten points in the first half but lost it fast. This time, they didn't completely break apart.

With 3:40 remaining in the game, a basket by Courtney Williams brought Minnesota within 68-66 after trailing by nine points early in the fourth quarter. The final points Minnesota would score were those. Any hopes of a second comeback by Minnesota Lynx were dashed as Laney-Hamilton responded with a 3-pointer in the corner to open a 12-0 run. With 57 seconds remaining, Stewart's putback gave New York a double-digit lead. 

With 0.8 seconds remaining in Game 1's regulation, Stewart missed a free throw that would have given New York the lead. They couldn't lose Game 2 thanks to the two-time MVP. In addition, she recorded a finals record of seven steals, five assists, and eight rebounds.

Watch here the video:

"I couldn't wait to come back here Sunday."

Breanna Stewart's mentality after Game 1 😤 pic.twitter.com/grF0vCVhdd

— ESPN (@espn) October 13, 2024

Once again, 18,046 people attended the sold-out game, including UConn coach Geno Auriemma, Jennifer Hudson, Katie Couric, and Fat Joe. Collier and Stewart were two teams Auriemma had a soft spot for. With the victory, New York was able to avoid falling behind 0–2 and needed an incredible comeback. In the best-of-five Finals, all twenty teams who had trailed 0–2 had lost the series. For the Lynx, Napheesa Collier scored 16 points while Williams chipped in with 15. 

WNBA final series Game 3 will be held at Minnesota 

After leading 23–21, New York scored the last eight points of the first quarter to lead 31–21 at the half. Ten of Sabrina Ionescu's fifteen points came in the first ten minutes, while Stewart scored the remaining seven. After the Lynx closed the third quarter with a 57-53 lead, Stewart made two free throws, had a huge block on the other end, and finished the quarter with a jumper to give New York a 61-53 lead going into the fourth. Minnesota will host Game 3 on Wednesday night.