Liberty 93-81 Lynx: Stewart 24 and 10, Minnesota still the one-seed
AP: New York outscored Minnesota 23-12 after 8:18 of the fourth. Playoffs begin 27 September. Sunday games have not tipped.
Why this game matters
If you want basketball with a scoreboard in September 2026, you want the WNBA. Minnesota had the one-seed. New York walked into Target Center on 18 September and printed 93-81. The playoffs still begin 27 September.
What actually happened
AP: Breanna Stewart 24 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals. Jonquel Jones 18 and 10. Sabrina Ionescu 17. Pauline Astier 14. Marine Johannes 13. Olivia Miles 20 for Minnesota. Kayla McBride 16, Napheesa Collier 14, Courtney Williams 12, Natasha Williams 11.
AP: Miles a three-point play for 69-67 with 8:18 left. Stewart a 3 on the next possession. New York 23-12 the rest of the way. Stewart passed Sue Bird for ninth on the WNBA career scoring list at 6,806 points. Lynx 31-10, still the one-seed, three straight losses for the first time this season. Liberty 25-16.
What it changes
Wikipedia qualifying table, 20 September: 1 Lynx 31-10. 2 Golden State Valkyries 31-11. 3 Las Vegas Aces 28-13. 4 Atlanta Dream 28-14. 5 Indiana Fever 27-14. 6 Dallas Wings 26-16. 7 New York Liberty 25-16. 8 Washington Mystics 25-16. ESPN: first round begins 27 September. WNBA.com still lists Sunday regular-season games, including Lynx at Connecticut, as not started. Do not invent a Sunday score. Do not invent a 2026 champion.
Sources
Every score and ranking on this page is locked to a named source. If it is not here, it is not on the page.