NEW YORK — Bethany Laney-Hamilton couldn't immediately pick her favorite moment from the New York Liberty's WNBA Finals Game 2 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday. Here are some possibilities.
Maybe he'll think about making his first three-pointer just over five minutes before the final game in New York in an 80-66 victory. That's when Courtney Vandersloot knew it was going to be Laney-Hamilton night. “She looked different tonight,” Vandersloot said. “When she plays like that, we're a different team.”
Or maybe what Laney-Hamilton will remember most fondly is her last three-pointer with 3:21 left in the contest – a triple that extended Liberty's lead from two points to five and stopped another furious Lynx rally in the fourth quarter. “The third corner for (Laney-Hamilton) is a play,” guard Sabrina Ionescu said.
Or will it be Laney-Hamilton's hugs with Ionescu and Kayla Thornton as a Barclays Center record 18,040 fans basked in the joy of victory in New York? Or will the fact that he receives the game ball in the New York locker room be the most significant?
There are many possibilities because Laney-Hamilton's influence was enormous. She tied her season high with 20 points and played poor defense against Minnesota's Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride.
“She plays both ends of the court and plays hard,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “She's a winner and she's very happy that she had this success today and (can) continue to build on it.”
The bucket 🐝 has been ACTIVATED 👑@BetnijahLaney is ours @Withings Game Player 🔥 pic.twitter.com/C82OIprXaI
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) October 13, 2024
If Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals will be remembered for New York's historic collapse, Game 2 will be remembered for the contributions up and down the Liberty lineup. The key factor was the X-factor.
“You need players to go beyond the starting lineup and they did that in two games,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “And we have trouble doing that consistently. We have to have it.”
Laney-Hamilton's starring role was particularly positively received in New York after her relatively minimal impact in the first match. Her 26 minutes in that loss were the fewest among New York starters. On the eve of the second match, Brondello was nervous while assessing Laney-Hamilton's performance. “I think everyone can see that she's trying. It's not the same 'B' that we've seen all season, but it is what it is,” Brondello said on Saturday.
However, Brondello noted that Laney-Hamilton consistently hits three-pointers during Liberty practices outside of daily practice and during Sunday warmups before games.
Then the ball tipped and Laney-Hamilton immediately shot. Minnesota consistently went under the screens it was involved in. Aggressive and outspoken, two possessions later she sank her first 2-pointer and her first 3-pointer.
It was all part of the plan. New York urged her not to be passive.
“We know she can do it,” Liberty star Breanna Stewart.
However, Laney-Hamilton didn't always show it due to injuries. She played in only 28 games during the regular season, missing 12 games between July 6 and August 26 due to knee surgery. Brondello said New York missed Laney-Hamilton's skill and decisiveness. “Like this is the best competitor,” Brondello said.
In her absence, players other than Stewart, Ionescu and Jones emerged and were instrumental in Liberty's team-best 32 regular-season wins. It was also crucial in the postseason as they stormed past the Atlanta Dream in the first round and defeated the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals. Laney-Hamilton has scored in double figures just once in the postseason and hasn't scored 20 points since early July.
It's a credit to New York's lineup that different players can play key roles on any given night. In game no. 1, for example, Leonie Fiebich shined, hitting five three-pointers and scoring 17 points. Fiebich only had one basket on Sunday, but it didn't matter.
Laney-Hamilton scored 20 points in Liberty's victory. (Luther Schlaifer/NBAE via Getty Images)
“(General manager Jonathan Kolb) built this team to be able to withstand anything that any of our W opponents could throw at us, so it's really good to see everyone getting back up.” Jonquel Jones said. “This is what will be needed.”
The lynx has X-factors that showed up in the postseason as well. Their two All-Stars, Napheesa Collier and McBride, were effective throughout the playoffs. But the offensive outbursts of Williams or Bridget Carleton, or Alanna Smith's rim protection and timely three-point shooting, often changed Minnesota's path.
However, in two games, the Lynx have not shown who will consistently increase their lead. On Sunday, Williams was controlled with 15 points. “(It's) a huge difference,” Reeve said. “Both games (New York) got help.”
Perhaps returning to the Target Center will especially lift Carleton. She made only six of her last 30 three-point attempts. Perhaps Minnesota's backup will spark the game from the bench (he scored just five points off the bench in the second game).
After Sunday's victory, Laney-Hamilton did not want to go into details about her health. Instead, she decided to focus on her achievements.
“It was a really good feeling to see what I was capable of,” she said. And that made sense too. Her final three points especially changed the momentum of the game as the Lynx cut New York's 17-point lead to two.
History will tell whether that shot and Laney-Hamilton's overall play changed the fortunes of the series when the finals resume on Wednesday night.
“She played a huge role in ending the match and she's going to continue to do that in the next two matches,” Ionescu said. “We believe in her. She knows it.
(Photo: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
