.The team that dominated the entire WNBA regular season, racking up the most wins, and making history on the road, was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The Minnesota Lynx's story has become the biggest tragedy of the 2026 WNBA season. The No. 1 seed Lynx were sent home by the No. 8 seed New York Liberty in a 2-0 sweep.
This isn't just a defeat; it's a first in WNBA history.
What happened at Barclays Center?
The second game was played on Tuesday night, September 29, 2026, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Game 2 score: New York Liberty 87 - 71 Minnesota Lynx
In the first match, the Liberty defeated the Lynx 91-75 at their home in Minneapolis, with Breanna Stewart delivering a blistering performance of 34 points and 12 rebounds.
In the second match, Liberty took the lead from the start and never looked back. They didn't trail once throughout the match.
Liberty's Big 3 stole the show:
Jonquel Jones: 21 points, 13 rebounds - scoring the first 7 points alone
Breanna Stewart: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists - played the entire 40 minutes, leading the team like a captain
Sabrina Ionescu: 18 points, 7 assists, 4 three-pointers - said after the match, "We know we're not a typical 8th seed. People had stopped counting us out, but we didn't stop counting ourselves out."
The Lynx were in a bad situation.
- Courtney Williams: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
- Napheesa Collier: 14 points, 7 rebounds
- Kayla McBride: 14 points
- Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles had her worst day – just 5 points (1 of 8 shots) in 17 minutes, and was benched in the third quarter after a Flagrant 1 foul on Stewart.
Why is this historic?
The WNBA changed its playoff format in 2016. Since then, no No. 8 seed had ever defeated a No. 1 seed. The Liberty achieved that.
What's more, in WNBA history, no No. 1 seed had ever been swept (lost 2-0) in the first round. The Lynx became the first team to break this record.
ESPN's Alexa Philippou tweeted, "The No. 8 seed New York Liberty advanced to the WNBA Semifinals. The Minnesota Lynx became the first No. 1 seed in WNBA playoff history to be swept in their opening series."
How impressive was the Lynx's season?
That's why this loss is all the more shocking.
Under Cheryl Reeve's coaching, the Lynx topped the league this year with 33 wins and 11 losses, securing the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive year.
Most importantly, they recorded *18 road wins* this season, the most by any team in WNBA history. This means they are the most dangerous team when playing away from home. But ironically, they didn't manage a single road win in the playoffs, ending their season in a crucial away match.
Napheesa Collier was an MVP candidate, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams were in excellent form, and Olivia Miles won Rookie of the Year. Everyone expected the Lynx, who lost to the Liberty in the 2024 Finals, to avenge their victory.
But being strong on paper isn't enough in sports.
How did the Liberty turn the tables?
The New York Liberty had a poor regular season—26 wins, 18 losses, and the 8th seed. But this team is the 2024 champion and has championship DNA.
They won the Commissioner's Cup in June of this year. Under first-year coach Chris DeMarco, the team was slowly finding its rhythm. Just before the playoffs, Sabrina Ionescu said the team hadn't played its best yet.
And they saved their best against the Lynx. Communication on defense, aggression on offense, and fighting for every extra ball—Liberty outclassed Lynx in every department.
Liberty and Lynx's rivalry was at its peak last year. Liberty defeated Lynx in the 2024 finals to win the title. This year, Lynx looked for revenge, but Liberty once again overpowered them.
