The New York Liberty just dug themselves into a 2-0 hole in the WNBA playoff semifinal series against the Atlanta Dream after a brutal 101-98 overtime loss on Wednesday, October 7th, a game where Liberty forward Breanna Stewart delivered a historic, record-setting performance that somehow still wasn’t enough.
Stewie’s Record Night Got Gutted By The Final Buzzer
“Playoff Stewie” was absolutely locked in, folks. Breanna Stewart went full beast mode in Game 2, becoming the first player in WNBA playoff history to ever drop 35 points, grab 10-plus rebounds, AND dish out five-plus assists. Think about that for a second! She finished with an insane 35 points, 11 boards, and 6 assists. This was an all-time performance, the kind of night you tell your grandkids about, a true display of pure will. She imposed her will on the game like nobody else in playoff history, but somehow, some way, it wasn’t enough to get the Liberty over the finish line.
The Overtime Heartbreak And A Timeout Catastrophe
This loss was rough, but how it happened? That’s what’s truly infuriating. The Liberty failed to use a remaining reset timeout with just 4.3 seconds left in overtime, trailing by three points. Stewart had to chuck up a game-tying 3-pointer that didn’t fall. And you know Stewie, she was absolutely fuming about that unused timeout. She told reporters she specifically asked referee Kevin Fahy if they had a reset timeout after Dream forward Angele Reese’s free throws. Stewart recalled Fahy saying, “I’m going to check at the table.” Then he looked at Fatou Cissoko-Stephens, who said, “No.” So Fahy told Stewart no. But they DID have one! “Of course, who knows what would happen in the game,” Stewart said, “but we would have hopefully a better shot on goal.” Seriously, how does that even happen in a playoff game? It’s just crushing.
The series now shifts to New York for Game 3 with the Liberty facing a 2-0 deficit in this best-of-five semifinal. If they can’t figure out how to close out games, especially after a historic individual performance like that, this series is gonna be over fast. They need to figure it out, and fast, or it’s curtains.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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