NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart said as disappointing as the New York Liberty's loss in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals was on Thursday, she hasn't lost any sleep over it. She watched video of her free throw that missed at the end of regulation and the layup she missed at the end of overtime.

In no case did she believe she had done anything fundamentally wrong; The shots just weren't fired. This allowed her to rest without thinking about it for too long. However, when you're a two-time league MVP, you can't wait to get your revenge.

“When the game ended on Thursday, I was looking forward to Sunday,” Stewart said.

In the Liberty's 80-66 Game 2 victory over Minnesota, Stewart's fingerprints covered the penalty box. She led New York with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and a WNBA Finals record 7 steals. She joined Alyssa Thomas in 2019 and was the only player to record 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in a Finals game, according to ESPN Research.

Stewart also had a big responsibility in slowing down Minnesota star Napheesa Collier, who had 16 points and 8 rebounds, but also 7 turnovers.

Stewart was a senior and Collier a freshman on the UConn women's last national championship team in the 2015-16 season. Huskies coach Geno Auriemma was in attendance at Sunday's game and Stewart joked it was “about time” to come to Brooklyn to watch her play. He saw the adult version of the player who led UConn to four consecutive NCAA titles.

“She was all over the floor, just wreaking havoc, getting in the gaps and making it difficult (for the Lynx),” New York guard Courtney Vandersloot said of Stewart. “When your best player, your leader, plays as hard as she does night in and night out and impacts the game in different ways — not just scoring and rebounding… she does other things — that's a huge motivator for everyone and she sets the standard for us.”

The Liberty also got a big offensive play from a more unexpected source on Sunday. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who is dealing with knee problems that forced her to miss 10 regular-season games, matched her season-high 20 points while covering a lot of ground on defense.

“She dug deep, and that’s what we needed,” coach Sandy Brondello said.

Laney-Hamilton said: “I think it gives me a bit of momentum as the series goes on. It felt really good because I know I was struggling physically and mentally while I was going through everything.”

The win evened the best-of-five series heading into the next two games in Minneapolis. The Liberty and the Lynx, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the playoffs, each posted the best home record of the regular season this year at 16-4. The Liberty also had the best road record at 16-4.

The 18,046 fans on Sunday set a record for a Liberty game at Barclays Center, where the team has played full-time since 2021. Large crowds are expected for Game 3 on Wednesday and Game 4 on Friday at Target Center. Stewart said she and the Liberty are ready for that.

“We welcome it; we like it when it’s loud, when it’s difficult,” Stewart said. “Hopefully there will be an incredible atmosphere in both games. It's about not getting too high or too low; things will seem bigger than they are because they are playing at home. I'm sure Minny said that.” The same applies when they play here.

After Thursday's 95-93 loss in which they blew a 15-point lead in the final five minutes of regulation, it was imperative for Stewart and the Liberty to avoid a two-game deficit. Since New York has never won a championship in the WNBA's last 27 seasons, the Liberty are under historic pressure.

But on Saturday, the Liberty sounded more optimistic after practice. Stewart predicted at the time that she wouldn't feel a hangover from the Game 1 loss.

“I can’t strive to be the best, to be great, but then be afraid to fail,” she said. “This is what happens when you put yourself in important, high-stress situations. One faces possible failure. Yes, I was upset because we could have won the game (on Thursday). But I'm glad I had the chance. Throughout the entire process, my team is there to support me every step of the way.”

Brondello said she told Stewart immediately after Thursday's loss, “'Look, this isn't your fault. That's up to us.'”

“We win together as a team, we lose together as a team. There is no assigning blame. We all could have done better. It hurts, but what should we do about it? We have to pick up Stewie. One thing. “As for Stewie, she recovers pretty quickly.”