Despite the World Cup break, the WNBA action has not stepped down one bit. And with the playoffs arriving soon, players are putting in their maximum effort at the business end of the regular season. Friday night in the WNBA saw the Minnesota Lynx enter double digits in defeats, thanks to Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty, as rookie sensation Olivia Miles was on her own side quest regarding referees. Meanwhile, Golden State Valkyries’ Kaitlyn Chen proved she is more than just a bench player against expansion side Toronto Tempo, who failed to play spoiler against a team that is slowly catching up to head coach Cheryl Reeve’s side in the standings.

As the seeding for the playoffs is slowly beginning to form, let us take a look at what went down on Friday night in the world of the WNBA.

Breanna Stewart Extends Her All-Time Record in Wins Against the Lynx

Fresh off winning the gold medal at the FIBA Women’s World Cup, Team USA captain and MVP Breanna Stewart has no intention of slowing down, which has made the 32-year-old one of the greatest players of this era. Friday against the Lynx was no different, as Stewart scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and the Liberty held on for a 93-81 win over the Lynx away from home.

With Stewart’s 24 points, she has officially moved past Sue Bird and into ninth place on the WNBA’s career scoring list with 6,806 points. And it is more than guaranteed that the Liberty star will go up into eighth place in the next game against the Toronto Tempo, as she is only five points behind Cappie Pondexter.

Apart from Stewart, four other players in the New York Liberty lineup scored points in double digits. Jonquel Jones added 18 points and 10 rebounds, as Sabrina Ionescu finished with 17 points and a team-high 6 assists. Pauline Astier and Marine Johannes also showed up with 14 and 13 points each.

Up until the fourth quarter, the game was quite close. The Liberty led 65-62, but eventually did not allow the Lynx to make a late comeback after the Lynx made an 11-3 run in the third quarter.

With 1:33 left in the fourth quarter, Stewart started the strong finish with a jump shot to make it 86-79. Lynx star Napheesa Collier made a jump shot on the opposite end to cut the deficit to 86-81 with 1:26 left. However, that proved to be Minnesota’s final basket, as Jonquel Jones scored from outside the arc and in the paint. To finish it off for good, Ionescu made her two free throws. The Liberty ended the game with a solid 9-2 run.

The New York Liberty now extend their lead to 25-16 and sit in sixth place. However, the Washington Mystics and the Dallas Wings also hold the same record, so it is possible that this game was a preview of a potential first-round playoff matchup.

But the Lynx are currently on a three-game losing streak, and while Olivia Miles had another decent showcase, she was highly bothered by the officiating.

Olivia Miles Had a Frustrating Night

Miles finished Friday’s game with 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five turnovers. A solid display, but if we look more deeply, the No.2 overall draft pick had a poor shooting display, recording only 5-for-18 in the 93-81 loss against the Liberty.

The Lynx rookie did make 10 of her 12 free-throw attempts because the 2024 WNBA champions kept her on lock defensively. Following the game, Miles talked about the physicality that she’s never faced before.

“Yeah, like I said, this is my first time doing this. Trying to understand, obviously, they were calling it one way at the beginning of the season and now it’s like a free-for-all, I guess and trying to adjust back.” Miles said, via Lynx beat writer and reporter Andrew Dukowitz.

“I have to do so a little bit more quickly, but yeah, I mean, it’s frustrating at times when you feel like you’re getting hounded everywhere and pushed off your spots and thrown on the ground and stuff. But ultimately, we can’t rely on the refs to win us the game.”

Miles has recorded one of the greatest rookie campaigns in recent memory, but it was clear that she was not at her best against the Liberty. Breanna Stewart also talked about how her team limited the young star.

“Listen, you can ask probably any guard in the league; they don’t want to be picked up 94 feet, and the fact that we rotated between the three of Leo, Bek, and Pauline to just be in her s*** was what we wanted to do. She still got to the rim, she still got to the free-throw line, but not as efficient as she would have liked.” Stewart said, via Liberty reporter Myles Ehrlich on X.

It is clear that teams are now guarding Miles more than ever. Previously, Miles was guarded more passively because she was a rookie, and she often used to make the opposition pay for that with her ridiculous efficiency. But with the playoffs arriving, Miles will definitely be on the lookout by the defenders, who will try to limit the MVP candidate as much as possible.

Apart from Miles and Stewart, even Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve talked about Miles’ struggles against physicality. However, she had a more positive approach and felt Miles did a good job of adjusting as the game progressed.

“I thought she was growing as the game went on. I thought she was really good composure-wise, and it was a little bit frustrating for her and I thought she kept it together and found a way to be a little bit more productive and she had a good second half.” Reeve said, via Andrew Dukowitz.

It is clear Miles will need more confidence ahead of the postseason, and the next game against 14th-place Connecticut Sun is the perfect time for Miles to adjust herself and for the Lynx to end their three-game winless streak and maintain a lead at the top against the Golden State Valkyries.

Valkyries Extend Win Streak Thanks to Kaitlyn Chen

The Golden State Valkyries have now won five games in a row, as Kaitlyn Chen recorded five shots from outside the arc to finish with 17 points, three assists, and a rebound off the bench against expansion side Portland Fire. The Valkyries convincingly beat the Fire 82-66 to earn their 30th victory of the season.

Overall, the Valkyries bench scored 43 points, as fellow reserve Laeticia Amihere went for a career-high 17 points. This victory becomes even more inspiring when we realise that Gabby Williams, Janelle Salaun and Cecilia Zandalasini were all rested for the game following participation in the FIBA Women’s World Cup tournament. Williams and Salaun went all the way, securing the silver medal after the defeat against Team USA in the final.

As for the starters, Kayla Thornton and Tip Hayes scored 13 points each. Meanwhile, Chen and Amihere created a lively pick-and-roll duo who tried to one-up each other by giving the other half credit.

“It was so much fun to play with her today, every day, but especially tonight,” Chen said, with Amihere adding, “She bailed me out a lot.” Even head coach Natalie Nakase believes the Valkyries’ first and second unit can be in sync.

“We make sure we’ve matched up our first unit to our second unit, and it’s not just playing against the scout guys, and we allow our first team to really go at them. I mean, if you’re playing our first unit, I think that’s pretty tough because of the physicality they bring.” Nakase said after the game.

The Valkyries now extend their record to 30-11 for the season and are now just one victory away from matching the Lynx’s 31-win record, who are currently on a three-game losing streak. With three games left to play in the regular season, it will be interesting to see which team finishes as the top seed.