Cheryl Reeve’s bid to break the WNBA regular-season coaching wins record will have to wait at least one more game after the New York Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx 99-86 on Friday.
Reeve entered the game tied with Mike Thibault’s mark of 379 career coaching wins after reaching the total earlier in the week. The loss kept her from moving past the record in front of a Lynx team that had been playing with momentum after the Liberty won the Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday.
Stewart leads the way
Breanna Stewart was the biggest factor in the result. She scored a season-high 36 points against the Lynx, continuing a strong stretch for the Liberty after she was named MVP of the in-season tournament earlier in the week. Stewart’s performance helped New York control the game and extend Reeve’s wait on the milestone.
Stewart also showed why she remains one of the most difficult players to slow down in the league. She has multiple WNBA championships, MVP awards and Olympic gold medals, and Friday was another reminder of how quickly she can take over a game when she gets rolling.
Liberty support makes the difference
The Liberty got key help beyond Stewart, with Leonie Fiebich adding 16 points. Sabrina Ionescu also praised the way New York handled Stewart’s production, noting that the team knows how great she is and keeps looking for her every time because she can do everything.
Fiebich said Stewart “had some tough ones today” and added that she was “really aggressive,” before saying there was “no answer for her, especially not in Minnesota.” That summed up the night for the Lynx, who had no clean way to slow Stewart down for long.
Reeve now remains tied at 379 career coaching wins, with the record still within reach. But for at least one more game, the milestone stays shared instead of changing hands.
