NEW YORK (AP) — Jonquel Jones had 21 points and 13 rebounds and the No. 8 seed New York Liberty beat the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 87-71 in Game 2 of their WNBA playoff series Tuesday night and advanced to the semifinal round.
Breanna Stewart added 21 points and Sabrina Ionescu had 18 to help the Liberty become the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the league’s 30-year history. The WNBA has undergone a number of different playoff formats. And in many of the formats, it wasn't possible for those seeds to match up. However, in 2022 the league changed to the current format in which the top eight teams play in the quarterfinals.
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New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts after scoring a three-point basket during the first half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Lynx, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, left, reacts with teammates Pauline Astier, center, and Jonquel Jones (35) after scoring a three-point basket during the first half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Lynx, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve speaks with guard Olivia Miles (5) during the first half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series against the New York Liberty, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) looks to shoot over New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) during the first half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride (21) drives to the basket past New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during the first half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Now, New York awaits the winner of the Atlanta-Washington series. The Dream are up 1-0 and play at Washington on Wednesday night. The semifinals begin Sunday.
A year after losing in the first round to Phoenix after going up 1-0 in that series, New York was determined not to have that happen again.
The Liberty were up five points after one quarter and led 40-35 with 2:39 left in the half. New York scored nine of the final 11 points in the second quarter to go up 49-37 at the break.
New York was up 52-39 with 6:26 left in the third when Stewart drove to the basket and was hit in the face by Miles as she tried to block the shot. Stewart was down for a minute as the officials reviewed the play and upgraded the play to a Flagrant-1 foul.
As Stewart walked off the court, she raised her hands to the sellout crowd of 17,593, who serenaded her with M-V-P! chants. Stewart hit both free throws.
Minnesota couldn't get closer than seven points the rest of the way.
The Lynx's season ended in disappointment again. The Lynx had the best regular-season record, but just couldn't put it together against New York. On Monday, Cheryl Reeve won the league's Coach of the Year and Olivia Miles was a unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year.
Miles struggled in both games against New York. She had five points, missing seven of her eight shots in 17 minutes, on Tuesday night. The Liberty's size and ability to protect the rim bothered the stellar first-year player.
Courtney Williams scored 18 points and Napheesa Collier added 14 to lead the Lynx.
See AP’s full WNBA coverage here
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts after scoring a three-point basket during the first half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Lynx, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, left, reacts with teammates Pauline Astier, center, and Jonquel Jones (35) after scoring a three-point basket during the first half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Lynx, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve speaks with guard Olivia Miles (5) during the first half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series against the New York Liberty, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) looks to shoot over New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) during the first half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride (21) drives to the basket past New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during the first half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
The United States is targeting people and companies around the globe that it accuses of financing or enabling Iran's military supply chain, placing sanctions on 10 individuals and entities as it pushes forward with economic warfare against Tehran.
Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard urged Americans in a message ahead of U.S. midterm elections to take to the streets and rally against Donald Trump, claiming the U.S. president's war in the Middle East has failed.
Pakistan vowed to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthis by “whatever means,” and in the occupied West Bank, settlers rioted to prevent a Palestinian man escorted by the Israeli military from returning to his home.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday. Full coverage is available here.
The United States is targeting people and companies around the globe that it accuses of being financial facilitators or enablers of Iran’s military supply chain.
The Trump administration is pushing forward with economic warfare against Tehran at a time when renewed diplomacy between the two countries remains uncertain.
The Treasury Department action Tuesday is part of the administration’s “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign, aimed at severing “critical financial lifelines” for the already heavily sanctioned Iranian government.
Ten individuals and entities based in Iran, Hong Kong and Pakistan now face sanctions over accusations of procuring weapons and weapon components for Iran as it fights its now seven-month war against the U.S.
By Farnoush Amiri
Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, spokesman for Iran's Revolutionary Guard, said that the only way for the war in Iran to end is for Washington to admit defeat and leave.
He spoke at a news conference Tuesday in Tehran, reading from what he called a “letter to the American people.” The message was apparently meant for the U.S. public just weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections for the U.S. Senate and Congress — a vote in which Trump’s Republican Party faces fierce headwinds as it looks to maintain control of Congress.
Later, in remarks to The Associated Press, Mohebbi urged Americans to reconsider their leadership and take to the streets and protest Trump's policies to denounce what he called the U.S. government’s warmongering policies.
He accused the United States of using Iran’s nuclear program as a ruse to “plunder Iran’s wealth” and to turn the country “back into a colony.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s currency fell to a new record low Tuesday, with traders in Tehran exchanging more than 2.5 million rials to the U.S. dollar. The currency has repeatedly reached new lows since the war began in February.
A crucial oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia that was shuttered by the kingdom earlier this month after coming under attack is once again operating, a Saudi government official said.
The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said operations are near pre-attack levels and that the East-West pipeline should be running at full capacity within a few weeks. The kingdom relies on the pipeline to move its crude from oil processing facilities on the Gulf to ports on its western, Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia blamed an Iran-backed militia in Iraq for the drone attack that forced the temporary shutdown of the 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) pipeline.
Satellite imagery indicated tankers on Sunday loaded some 12.5 million barrels of oil at the Yanbu export terminal, which is supplied by the East-West Pipeline, and the nearby terminal at Al Muajjiz, the data and analytical firm Kpler said in a report.
Pakistan will use “whatever means are available” to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the country’s defense minister said Tuesday, offering one of Islamabad’s clearest indications yet that it could become directly involved in the widening regional conflict.
Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif declined to say whether Pakistani forces had already participated in airstrikes. He said, however, that Pakistan’s military capabilities would be available to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
“I’m not going into detail, but obviously when I say that we are bound by this arrangement to defend Saudi Arabia, that means whatever means are available at our disposal, they’ll be available to Saudi Arabia also. I think that’s a categoric statement,” Asif told reporters during a visit to Rome when asked whether Pakistan had been involved in airstrikes against Iranian operators in Yemen.
Airstrikes by Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces on Tuesday pounded Yemen’s northwestern province of Saada. They were the most intense daily attacks on the homebase of Iran-backed Houthi rebels in recent weeks.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the government forces had launched a total of 35 airstrikes on Houthi positions in the last 24 hours.
Earlier, Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that at least 20 airstrikes had targeted different districts in Saada alone.
Over a hundred Israeli settlers scuffled with Israeli soldiers who were trying to escort a Palestinian man to his home in the West Bank village of Jalud.
The homeowner, Mahmoud Tubasi, told the AP that the soldiers initially brought him to his home but rioting settlers forced him to leave with his family in a military vehicle. He said he still can't access the house, which settlers have besieged for two months.
Israel’s military acknowledged that the overnight mission to return the family “was not completed” and said three officers were injured by settlers who threw rocks, blocked roads and set Palestinian property on fire.
Israeli police said they arrested three settlers suspected of participating in the riot, which was condemned by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gidon Saar and President Isaac Herzog.
The Israeli military has struggled to quell the latest wave of settler violence. Rights groups have accused the military of colluding with the settlers.
Israeli strikes Tuesday in the Gaza Strip killed four people, including a Hamas commander, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.
A strike early Tuesday on an apartment west of Gaza City killed two people and wounded five others, officials at Shifa Hospital said.
Israel said the overnight strike targeted Izz al-Din Bik, a commander in the Hamas militant group. Israel Defense Forces said Bik was involved in plotting attacks and recruiting new members. Hamas released a statement confirming the death of al-Bik, claiming he was one of the main overseers of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel, which killed over 1,200 people.
On Tuesday afternoon, an Israeli airstrike in the Jabaliya refugee camp north of the Gaza Strip killed one and injured several others, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. A separate strike at around the same time east of Gaza City killed another, officials at Shifa Hospital said.
Israel’s military did not immediately respond for comment on the afternoon strikes.
The deaths were the latest since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago.
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
An Iranian missile is displayed under the country's national flag in a military exhibition commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war at Baharestan Square, in Tehran, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian missiles and banners showing portraits of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, center, and the late armed forces commanders and nuclear scientists, who were killed in Israel and U.S. strikes, are displayed in a military exhibition commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war at Baharestan Square, in Tehran, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A crow sits on a drone displayed in a military exhibition commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war at Baharestan Square, in Tehran, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
This image taken from video released by Al-Masirah TV, a channel run by Yemen's Houthi rebels, on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, shows what the channel said were Houthi fighters and local residents searching through the rubble of a house following a strike by Saudi-backed forces in the town of Kadhah, in Taiz province, Yemen. (Al-Masirah TV via AP)
Iran's Revolutionary Guard spokesman Gen. Hossein Mohebbi speaks during a news conference in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
