On Saturday afternoon, New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello told reporters that Betnijah Laney-Hamilton just wasn’t herself.
“She’s giving whatever she can,” Brondello said, per The Next’s Jackie Powell. “I think everyone can see that she’s trying. It’s not the same B that we’ve seen all season long, but it is what it is.”
24 hours later, Laney-Hamilton tied her season-high in scoring, exploding for 20 points on 8-14 shooting and leading the Liberty to a Game 2 WNBA Finals victory over the Minnesota Lynx.
Laney-Hamilton had surgery on her right knee in mid-July, and missed most of the second half of the season recovering. Post-surgery, Laney-Hamilton was clearly not 100% healthy. She was averaging just 5.9 points in the postseason entering Sunday’s game, and on the defensive end, she wasn’t moving like the elite defender the Liberty had come to rely on.
But, in front of a raucous crowd at Barclay’s Center, Laney-Hamilton found her footing, and helped the Liberty avoid an 0-2 Finals hole.
“That’s what we’re used to,” Breanna Stewart said. “We know she can do this. Really happy to see her get into a good rhythm, with everything that’s kind of been up and down this season, and know that she’s a big factor of everything we do.”
In 32 minutes — her highest since the first round of the playoffs — Laney-Hamilton hit 4-6 threes, which was tied for her best shooting display of the season. With so many Liberty player to worry about, the Lynx had been going under on screens when guarding her, and this time, she capitalized.
After the win, Laney-Hamilton fought back tears in her postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, and credited her Liberty teammates for being patient with her in her return to elite play.
“My teammates, just continuing to trust in me as I was finding my way back to feeling myself, so I just really appreciate them,” she said.
It’s not like Laney-Hamilton is a slouch offensively. This past season, shot a career-best 40.2% from three, and so the coaching staff wanted her to capitalize on the Lynx allowing her to get clean looks.
“We just encouraged her to shoot the three,” said Brondello. “She’s a great three-point shooter, she was stroking it yesterday in practice before the game. She’s digging deep, and that’s what we needed. We knew we needed to bounce back, and it was a big bounce-back game.”
Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve acknowledged that her team could similarly benefit from big contributions from role players.
“You need players beyond your stars, and for two games, they’ve done that,” said Cheryl Reeve. “We’re having trouble getting that consistently. We’ve got to have that.”
New York benefitted from a big Game 1 performance from Leonie Fiebich, who scored 17 points on 5-7 from three, and Game 2 will forever be dubbed the Laney-Hamilton game.
“B helped us get this margin and win the game,” Brondello said.
It was fitting that one of the Liberty’s most veteran players was so pivotal in such a make-or-break moment. Laney-Hamilton has been with the Liberty since 2021, and has been a double-figure scorer throughout that time.
But, her impact on the team can’t always be seen on the stat sheet. It’s the lockdown defense. It’s the hustle. It’s the leadership in the locker room and in timeouts.
“I think what B brings is this grit, this toughness — all of us know, she’s giving us whatever she’s got,” Stewart said.
At her best, she also opens up the floor for New York All-Stars; if Minnesota has to take away Laney-Hamilton jumpers, that alleviates some of the defensive pressure that Sabrina Ionescu and Stewart face.
“You put the ball in her hands, [to] be more of a playmaker — it just takes some of the pressure on these two in particular [Stewart and Ionescu],” Brondello said.
It’s only one game, and the Liberty will need two more good ones in order to secure a franchise-first WNBA championship. But, a healthy Laney-Hamilton might be just what they need to finally get over the hump.
“I feel good,” Laney-Hamilton said. “I hope I continue to feel like this — both mentally, physically as we move forward in this championship push.”
