Liberty vs. Lynx: Breanna Stewart Passes Sue Bird for 9th on WNBA Career Scoring List in 93-81 Win

Breanna Stewart has been climbing the WNBA's all-time scoring list for years, and on Friday night in Minneapolis she passed a name she knows better than most. Stewart's 24 points carried her beyond Sue Bird, her former Seattle Storm teammate, and into ninth place on the career chart.

She added 10 rebounds, Jonquel Jones posted 18 points and 10 boards, and the New York Liberty handed the Minnesota Lynx a 93-81 loss at Target Center in what could easily turn out to be a first-round preview. Minnesota has now dropped three straight for the first time all season.

Minnesota Owned the Early Minutes

In their first game back from the World Cup break, the Liberty scored the first six points, and then the Lynx punched back hard. Minnesota answered with 11 straight to grab an 11-6 lead, and later an 8-0 run that straddled the first and second quarters turned a 19-15 New York lead into a 23-19 Lynx edge. Minnesota led 20-19 after one.

New York's defense took over from there. The Lynx made just 4 of 16 shots in the second quarter, according to the Liberty, and Sabrina Ionescu collected all three of her steals in the period. New York won the quarter 22-17 and led 41-37 at the break.

Johannes Lit the Fuse

Minnesota rallied midway through the third with a 15-6 run and looked ready to take control. Then Marine Johannes went nuclear. The Liberty reserve poured in 10 points over the last minute and a half of the third, per the team, flipping the momentum and handing New York a 65-62 lead entering the fourth. According to the Liberty, nobody had dropped 10 or more points in the closing 90 seconds of a quarter since Kahleah Copper did it on June 7, 2024.

The fourth quarter was a heavyweight fight. Olivia Miles converted a three-point play to give Minnesota a 69-67 lead with 8:18 remaining, and Stewart answered right away with a 3-pointer on the Liberty's next trip. New York did not trail again.

When Minnesota cut it to 80-77 on a Napheesa Collier drive with 3:52 left, the visitors slammed the door. Stewart scored on a running layup, Pauline Astier added a 4-footer, and Stewart hit a 12-footer. Jones then delivered the knockout: a 23-foot 3 with 1:09 left for an 89-81 lead, followed by a layup on a Stewart feed about half a minute later. Ionescu's two free throws finished the scoring, and New York closed the game on a 13-4 burst over the final 2:58.

Stewie's Milestone, Jones' Muscle

Stewart finished 8 of 17 from the field and 2 of 3 from deep, adding four assists and three steals in 38 minutes without a turnover or a foul. The AP put her career total at 6,806 points, five behind Cappie Pondexter for eighth place. The Liberty noted she also passed Pondexter for fourth on the franchise's all-time made field goals list, and that it was her 31st straight game with at least 10 points and a steal or a block, one shy of Maya Moore's WNBA single-season record of 32. Her 242nd career game with at least 15 points and five rebounds moved her past Tamika Catchings into third place on the league's all-time list for those games, according to the team.

Jones was the perfect co-star, scoring 18 with 10 rebounds and two blocks in her 150th game with New York. The team said she went over 2,000 points as a Liberty player, and that she and Stewart have now posted double-doubles in the same game 12 times, the second-most for any pair of teammates in WNBA history.

Ionescu scored 17 with six assists and three 3s. Astier added 14 on 6-of-8 shooting, with 10 of those points coming in the fourth, per the team, and the club said no rookie in franchise history had gotten to 300 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists before her. Johannes finished with 13 off the bench, making 4 of 8 from deep. Leonie Fiebich scored only three but had four steals, three of them in the fourth quarter.

Miles Battled, the Lynx Sputtered

Miles led Minnesota with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, but she needed 18 shots and leaned on a 10-of-12 night at the line. Kayla McBride scored 16 on 5-of-15 shooting, Collier had 14 on an efficient 7 of 11 but also six turnovers, Courtney Williams added 12 and Natasha Howard scored 11. Minnesota went 6 of 22 from 3-point range and did not make a single 3 in the fourth, according to the Liberty.

The Lynx did win the paint 44-38 and blocked eight shots. It just did not matter much when the Liberty were shooting 45% from deep and turning Minnesota mistakes into points.

The Turning Point

Stewart's answer to Miles. Minnesota had just gone ahead 69-67 with 8:18 to play, and the Lynx were in front. One possession later, Stewart buried a 3, New York took the lead back for good, and the Lynx spent the rest of the night chasing.

Stats That Matter

• 13 of 29: New York's 3-point shooting. Minnesota went 6 of 22.
• 12-7: The Liberty's steals edge. The team said 12 matched its season high.
• 19: Lynx turnovers, which New York turned into 21 points.
• 0: Stewart's turnovers in 38 minutes.

What It Means

New York improved to 25-16 overall and 11-10 on the road, has won eight of its last 11 and took the season series against Minnesota 2-1. Per the AP, the Liberty moved up to sixth in the standings. Minnesota fell to 31-10 overall and 14-7 at home but held on to the WNBA's top seed, according to the AP. The Liberty head to Toronto on Sunday, while the Lynx visit Connecticut the same day.

Closing Take

Stewart's march up the career list is starting to look like a video game speedrun. Bird is in the rearview, Pondexter is only five points away, and Stewart did this damage with 24 and 10 in a road win over the league's top seed. On Sunday in Toronto, the next checkpoint should take about five minutes.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Milestones as reported by the Associated Press and the New York Liberty.