Healthier, New York Liberty’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton makes a difference in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals

NEW YORK – One of the biggest shots in New York’s 80-66 victory over Minnesota in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday was a corner three-pointer from Liberty wing Betnijah Laney-Hamilton.

The Lynx, down 17 at one point, were within two with just over three minutes remaining when Laney-Hamilton took a pass from Sabrina Ionescu in the corner and hit her fourth and final three-pointer of the game.

It was the start of a 12-0 finish for the Liberty, and the culmination of Laney-Hamilton’s difficult recovery from a knee injury. After scoring five points in Game 1, she scored 20 Sunday on 8-for-14 shooting, hitting four of six three-pointers.

“That’s what we’re used to,” Liberty teammate Breanna Stewart said. “We know she can do this, and we’re happy to see her get into a good rhythm with everything that’s been up and down this season.”

Laney-Hamilton was limited to 28 games because of a knee injury this season. She had been fighting through pain since her return. But New York coach Sandy Brondello said she has started feeling much better in recent days, and Sunday could be evidence of that.

That’s important. In a game with two evenly matched teams, the stars are usually going to get their points. But games might be decided by which supporting cast members show up. Laney-Hamilton made a difference this time.

“Huge difference,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “So both games they have gotten help. They have a big five, right, their starters are all very capable, just like our starters are all very capable. You need players beyond your stars. And, for two games, they have done that.”

In Game 1 it was Liberty rookie Leonie Fiebich, who scored 17 and hit five three-pointers. The Lynx were able to overcome that. Not this time.

“We’re having trouble getting that [help] consistently,” Reeve said. “And we’ve got to have it.”

The way Sunday’s game was officiated appeared to change dramatically from the first half to the second. Only two fouls were called in the first quarter and only 10 in the first half. In the second half there were 20.

Napheesa Collier seemed to bear the brunt of that, picking up three third-quarter fouls and having to sit the final 3:18 of the quarter after she got her fourth. But neither Collier nor Reeve felt the officiating change changed the game.

“I don’t think it affected the game,” Reeve said. “I don’t know if it affected her play. It was just a chance to get her three minutes of rest at the end of the quarter, and then she went back in.”

UConn coach Geno Auriemma and retired Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer attended Sunday. Auriemma coached Stewart and Collier in college and in the Olympics. Stringer coached Laney-Hamilton at Rutgers.

Stewart said she asked Auriemma why he waited so long. “I texted him and I was like, ‘You know what? It’s about time that you come to my game,’” she said. “I’ve been here for two years and he hasn’t come down.”

Ionescu’s college coach, Oregon’s Kelly Graves, will be at Target Center on Wednesday.

Seimone Augustus, who played for the Lynx through all four of their WNBA titles, was among 13 enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday in Springfield, Mass. She’s the second Lynx player from the era to be inducted. Lindsay Whalen preceded her in 2022 and greeted her on the stage at the induction ceremony.

Augustus played 14 seasons for the Lynx and was an eight-time All-Star. She played in three Final Fours with LSU in college.

Augustus opened her speech with a song before delivering a three-minute poem for her speech. “I want to tell you a story about a girl from the bayou who cooked up a good pot of gumbo,” she said. “Sprinkle in a little Pistol Pete, Teresa Edwards, Allen Iverson and many more.

“They all helped me develop a game that you all adore. From jump shots to layups, each move refined. In my hands passion was truly intertwined.”

Sunday’s crowd of 18,046 was the largest in Liberty history and the third-largest in WNBA Finals history.