Lynx 100, Liberty 93: Getting Revenge in First Meeting of Season

Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images

It took nearly 30 games into the 44-game regular season for the top two teams to face off for the first time in a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals, but that finally took place Wednesday night in a meeting between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty at Target Center.

And as we saw at the end of last season with how closely matched these two teams are — and as a result the games are — was once again displayed in Minneapolis in the first of four games between Minnesota and New York over the next three

weeks.

In the back-and-forth battle, the Lynx pulled away in the second half and held off the Liberty to take the first game 100-93 and seek revenge on New York.

With the win, Minnesota improved to 23-5 overall and 15-1 at Target Center, extending their lead on New York to five games for the top seed in the WNBA. With the loss, New York drops to 17-9 and is now neck-and-neck with the Phoenix Mercury for the second seed.

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Back And Forth First Half

You didn’t actually think this game would be anything other than a back-and-forth and close battle, did you? Right out of the gate at Target Center, we got exactly that with both teams going on runs over the first 20 minutes of action before halftime.

New York got off to a quick start in the game, leading by as much as eight points in the first quarter, only to have Minnesota respond — thanks to key defensive stands in the final minutes — to even things up at 24-24 after one quarter.

Are we even surprised this Lynx/Liberty game is tied after one quarter?

Every time these teams play, it comes down to the wire. Regardless of who is on the floor.

— Mitchell Hansen (@M_Hansen13) July 31, 2025

In the second quarter, though, Minnesota took things over and grabbed momentum going into halftime. Led by a nice final few minutes of the second quarter notably from Napheesa Collier, the Lynx went on to outscore the Liberty 27-18 to take their largest lead of the first half with a 51-42 advantage at the break.

In the opening two quarters, both teams shot over 50% from the field, with Minnesota holding an edge from deep with seven threes compared to New York’s four.

Lynx Hold Off Liberty

In the second half, both teams once again went on runs to keep the game within reach, but Minnesota did enough late to hold off any New York comeback to come out on top.

The Liberty tried at they could to battle back into the game in the second half, including a 7-0 burst to end the third quarter to narrow the Lynx lead to a handful of points entering the final 10 minutes. Later, New York put together an 11-0 run with a few minutes left in the game in a last-minute push, but it too only brought the Liberty to within a handful of points.

Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images

Behind a fourth-quarter spark from the StudBudz, Courtney Williams as floor general and Natisha Hiedeman off the bench, the Lynx responded to every Liberty offensive burst and Minnesota hit key shots late to pull away.

Spread Out Attack

As we’ve seen on numerous occasions this season, the Lynx displayed a balanced, well-rounded effort from both the starting lineup and the bench. And they were led by none other than MVP frontrunner, Collier.

Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images

Five Lynx ended in double figures in scoring, with Collier leading with 30 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal. Kayla McBride added 24 points, five assists and three rebounds, Alanna Smith tallied 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks, Bridget Carleton and Natisha Hiedeman had 10 points each, and Williams notched six points, a season-high and career-high-tying 13 assists and nine rebounds.

Minnesota as a team saw one of the best shooting performances from deep, connecting on 15 threes which marks a new season high.

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Up Next

With Wednesday’s game button a bow on a four-game homestand for Minnesota, it will now hit the road for a two-game road trip with stops in Las Vegas on Saturday and Seattle on Tuesday.

The Lynx and Aces will square off at 2PM CT on Saturday at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, with the game available nationally on ABC. Minnesota owns a 2-0 series lead over Las Vegas this season, with the fourth and final game against each other taking place Sept. 4 in Las Vegas.