The Liberty’s Big 3 returned for unfinished business … and they’re getting to work

NEW YORK — White rally towels blanketed seats in Barclays Center pregame.

It would soon be filled with nearly 18,000 raucous fans on Tuesday night, but for a moment there was a calm. When the storm hit, it was the Minnesota Lynx who were sent seeking shelter.

The initial surge came courtesy of Jonquel Jones , who scored the Liberty's first 7 points of the game, tirelessly working the offensive glass. Then came a cutting layup from Breanna Stewart off the assist from Sabrina Ionescu . It was Ionescu's turn next, scoring at the rim to give the Liberty a 10-point advantage less than five minutes into the game.

Every time the Lynx found respite, either Jones, Stewart or Ionescu was waiting. Sometimes it was all three. They combined for 60 points in the Liberty's historic 87-71 first-round Game 2 win over the Lynx , becoming the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs. New York awaits the semifinals, where it will face the winner of the first-round matchup between the No. 4 Atlanta Dream and No. 5 Washington Mystics .

"When you have the three-headed monster coming at you, it's really tough," Stewart said. "Setting that tone every night is something that's important going forward because it's the playoffs."

When Jones, Stewart and Ionescu re-signed in free agency, they did so with the motivation of unfinished business.

After winning the franchise's first WNBA title in 2024 and then being eliminated in the first round last season, surely they were capable of more together.

The roller coaster of this 2026 season made what seemed like an obvious answer to that question uncertain. The Liberty entered the postseason with one more loss than last year, raising questions about how much more they could accomplish together.

On Tuesday night, they quieted the apprehension with their most complete game of the season. Despite their dominance, Ionescu said their best basketball is yet to come.

"It's when it matters most, now," Ionescu said. "When the stakes are high and you have to go on the road in a crazy environment and win a game and steal one, then you have to come here and not just get by, but get better because there's bigger goals that we have to accomplish."

For Ionescu, this season has been a particularly challenging slog. She started the campaign injured and has hinted that she has not been at 100 percent amid her poorest scoring output since the 2021 season. But entering Game 2 game, she said she had trust that the work she's put in would "come to light."

In front of a courtside celebrity crew that included rapper Meek Mill and WNBA legend Tina Charles , Ionescu radiated, finishing with 18 points on 4-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, and added seven assists and four rebounds. Her second 3-pointer of the night, a make from the left wing that put the Liberty up 47-35 just before the half, sent the rally towels spinning into the air and fans to their feet.

With a clear mind, Ionescu continued to heat up.

"That's kind of the best place to be as a shooter," Ionescu said. "When your minds empty and you're just playing. I just went out and obviously understood what the team needed and got the crowd into it."

Jones and Stewart added 21 points apiece. Jones cleaned up the boards, finishing with 13, and Stewart did a little bit of everything, adding five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks to her stat line.

"What she does for us on the defensive end, late shot … we feel we need her on the floor," Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said. "It's that time. We manage it all season for this."

Stewart was the only constant for the Liberty during the regular season, putting them on her back in more ways than one. Beyond her production, she provided a steadiness amid instability as injuries threatened to derail their season. After the All-Star break, there was a moment when they had to confront reality and continue to believe in themselves.

"We are an eight seed," Stewart said. "Even though we don't feel like it. We need to be that. We have to have that chip on our shoulder and change the chip."

The Liberty were a nightmare matchup for the Lynx during the regular season, and that was once again the case in the first two games of the playoffs. Their length gave the Lynx problems, specifically rookie Olivia Miles, who played just 17 minutes, finishing with 5 points, two rebounds and one assist.

"Stewie, she freaking wins everything," Miles said. "She's very experienced. Sab has been here before, and J.J. obviously has been here, done this. Their size really bothered us. … It's a tough team. I'll be curious how they do the rest of the way just because of how much of a matchup nightmare they pose to other teams."

The Liberty are the first team to clinch a spot in the semifinals.

Both the Dream and Mystics have variations of a three-headed core that have steered their teams' successes. In Washington, that's been Shakira Austin , Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron . The Dream have Rhyne Howard , Allisha Gray and Angel Reese .

Both are higher seeds than the Liberty, but then again, the Liberty are not a typical eight seed.

"We're not listening to the outside noise," Jones said. "We understand that we can do a lot of great things. Coming into this series, yes there was seeding and that's because of the regular season. But we feel like we can play anybody and beat anybody. That's the mindset we have moving forward."

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