Liberty Become First No. 8 Seed to Sweep a No. 1 Seed in WNBA History
New York eliminates top-seeded Minnesota in a historic upset, with Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu sending the Lynx home.
The New York Liberty completed a historic playoff upset, sweeping the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 2-0 in a first-round series that rewrote the league's postseason record book. Per ESPN, this marks the first time a No. 8 seed has eliminated a No. 1 seed in league history. The Liberty won Game 1 91–75 on September 27 at Target Center in Minneapolis and closed out the series with an 87–71 victory on September 29, per ESPN. That second game was played at Barclays Center in Brooklyn before a sellout crowd of 17,593, per WNBA.com.
Stewart's Takeover
Breanna Stewart announced the Liberty's intentions from the opening tip, delivering a two-game performance that left the Lynx with no answer. Per ESPN, in Game 1 Stewart scored 34 points and pulled down 12 rebounds on efficient 11-of-18 shooting with 6 assists, setting a dominant tone that Minnesota never recovered from. In Game 2, per WNBA.com, she added 21 points to lead a balanced Liberty attack. Stewart's combination of scoring touch and positional power created matchup problems the Lynx could not solve; even when the Minnesota defense committed resources to her, the rest of the Liberty roster punished the defensive adjustments.
Balanced Attack Overwhelms the Favorites
Stewart's performance formed the spine of New York's upset, but the Liberty's depth made the sweep inevitable. Per WNBA.com, Jonquel Jones contributed 21 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2, while Sabrina Ionescu controlled the pace with 18 points and 7 assists. In the same game, per ESPN and WNBA.com, Courtney Williams led Minnesota with 18 points and Napheesa Collier added 14, a showing that underlined how the Lynx lacked offensive firepower when the Liberty tightened their defense. The Lynx could score in spurts but never achieved the sustained offensive flow that had defined their 33–11 regular season, per Yahoo Sports.
Minnesota's Dominant Regular Season Counts for Nothing
Few predicted this outcome. Minnesota finished the regular season with a 33–11 record as the No. 1 seed, per Yahoo Sports, and appeared to be the logical favorite for a playoff run. Yet from the opening moments, the Lynx found themselves chasing. Per ESPN, Minnesota led for only 3 minutes and 23 seconds across both games, a statistic that captures the complete nature of the Liberty's dominance. The Lynx never led in Game 2 and managed only brief advantages in Game 1 before the Liberty pulled away decisively.
The collapse extended beyond the floor. Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota's coach, had been named 2026 Coach of the Year for a record fifth time, per the Star Tribune. Yet individual accolades and regular-season success provided no buffer against a Liberty team that arrived in the postseason with different energy. Reeve acknowledged the gap after Game 2, telling ESPN: "We became a great regular-season team this year, and we ran into the wrong team."
| Game | Date | Location | Liberty | Lynx | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | September 27 | Target Center, Minneapolis | 91 | 75 | +16 |
| Game 2 | September 29 | Barclays Center, Brooklyn | 87 | 71 | +16 |
A Different Team in the Postseason
The Liberty entered the series as underdogs in every traditional sense, yet their roster contained players who refused to accept that framing. Per Yahoo Sports, Sabrina Ionescu spoke for a team unburdened by the weight of the regular season, saying: "We know we're not a traditional eight seed. We understand once the playoffs come, it's a new season." That mindset manifested in every quarter. Per ESPN, Jonquel Jones reinforced the Liberty's collective belief, stating: "We're not listening to outside noise. We understand that we can play anybody and we can beat anybody, and that's the mindset that we have moving forward."
What Comes Next
The Liberty's historic upset advances them to the semifinals, where per Yahoo Sports they will face the winner of the Atlanta Dream versus Washington Mystics series. At the time of New York's sweep, Atlanta led that matchup 1–0, setting up the next chapter of an already remarkable postseason run. For Minnesota, the series was a reminder that the regular season and the playoffs are different contests. The Lynx leave with a superior record and all the validation that consistency provides—and nothing to show for it but an early exit.