{"id":351174,"date":"2026-09-19T16:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T16:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/351174\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T16:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T16:26:09","slug":"minnesota-lynx-lose-to-new-york-liberty-on-miles-inspired-goggle-giveaway-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/351174\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota Lynx lose to New York Liberty on Miles-inspired goggle giveaway night"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mitzi Fernandez of Minnetonka already wears glasses, but for a Olivia Miles-inspired goggle giveaway Friday, doubling \u2013 even tripling \u2013 up on specs was no problem. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to bring out all the Olivia Miles energy to win the game right now,\u201d Fernandez said during halftime, walking the Target Center concourse in her actual glasses with a Lynx baseball cap and her and her wife\u2019s goggles balancing double-decker style on top. <\/p>\n

\"two<\/p>\n

Mitzi and Francesca Fernandez of Minnetonka pose at the Minnesota Lynx game Friday, against the New York Liberty at Target Center. The Lynx lost 93-81. <\/p>\n

Anika Besst | MPR News <\/p>\n

Over 15,700 fans turned out for what was the team\u2019s first game since the FIBA World Cup break. Like Fernandez, thousands sported the goggles that have become a staple in the rookie point guard’s distinct look. But in the end, the Lynx came up short, losing 93-81 against the New York Liberty in a possible first-round playoff matchup.<\/p>\n

For Plymouth\u2019s Ishabor Makvandi, he\u2019s used to showing his love for Miles and the Lynx loud and proud, dressed up as Miles nearly every game he goes to. <\/p>\n

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just love the energy and the excitement and seeing all the kids with the stuff on their face and all the adults. It’s like, I mean, it’s like we’re all in union, like we’re all in unison,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Another fan, Pam Kremer of Minneapolis, was excited to see the arena full of the thick, black-rimmed goggles. Like so many Minnesota fans, Miles quickly became a favorite.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they made the choice, it was like we weren’t sure, but she’s perfect. She is perfect. She’s the perfect point guard, and with Lindsey as her mentor, she just gets better every game,\u201d Kremer said. <\/p>\n

Kremer became a Lynx fan over a decade ago. She\u2019s watched Miles throughout her college career, remembering her time at Notre Dame most.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a standout she was there,\u201d Kremer said. \u201cShe’s amazing. She’s just a fireball. As soon as she’s out there, she goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"two<\/p>\n

Sisters Pam Kremer (left) and Deb Oleson (right) wear their Olivia Miles-inspired goggles before the Minnesota Lynx’s Friday night game at Target Center in Minneapolis against the New York Liberty.<\/p>\n

Anika Besst | MPR News <\/p>\n

After over a month away, she was ready to welcome the Lynx back with a full house. She said Friday was about how fans \u201ccontinue to support them, continue to cheer them on, continue to let them know that we’re here for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wish them all the success that they deserve,\u201d Kremer said.<\/p>\n

Sue Sibilski of St. Paul has been a fan since the team\u2019s beginning in 1999. She remembers the highs and lows over the years \u2013 including the 2024 championships the Lynx lost to the Liberty \u2013 Sibilski considered it \u201cstolen\u201d from Minnesota \u2013 after what many consider a controversial foul call. <\/p>\n

But Friday, Sibilski said the calls seemed \u201cpretty even\u201d between the two teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think it’s the fouls that are determining the game,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Lynx just got really cold in the second half, and they weren’t making their shots. They’re missing layups. They’re missing three pointers. And turnovers. Turnovers don’t help.\u201d <\/p>\n

It was a sentiment head coach Cheryl Reeve echoed herself. In a post game press conference Reeve said the Liberty out-executed their offense and the Lynx gave up easy baskets. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn’t feel very good for sure. You know, sucks to have the record that we do at home. We’re not not satisfied with that remotely, but you know, tonight New York was better than us offensively for sure,\u201d Reeve said. <\/p>\n

After Friday’s game, shooting guard Kayla McBride said the focus will be execution of plays, attending to details and hitting shots. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey made shots the last five minutes of the game, and we didn’t. And that’s what the game comes down to, we understand that at this point in the season,\u201d McBride said. \u201cIt’s just getting back to executing the fluidity and just capitalizing because, I mean, great teams are going to make great plays and we\u2019ve been that team all year long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miles was the leading scorer for Minnesota with 20 points. She said adjusting to this point of the season and refs calls is something she continues to work at as a rookie. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s frustrating at times when you feel like you\u2019re getting hounded everywhere and pushed off your spots and thrown on the ground and stuff,\u201d she said. \u201cBut ultimately, like, we can’t rely on the refs to to win us the game, and got to go strong and got to finish your contact.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the goggles, Miles said it remains cool to see her impact on fans and the community, especially seeing them embrace and wear proudly one of her trademark looks. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t wear them for fun, I wear them because I actually need to see, but I’m glad other people wear them and appreciate, you know, the magic or whatever it may be that it brings them,\u201d she said. \u201cMinnesota is such a special place. I’m so grateful to be here, and they really, wrap their arms around their players.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Liberty beat the Lynx 93-81 as Breanna Stewart posts 24 points and 10 rebounds<\/p>\n

The Liberty\u2019s Breanna Stewart scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Jonquel Jones had 18 points and 10 rebounds.<\/p>\n

Stewart moved past Sue Bird and into ninth place on the WNBA’s career scoring list with 6,806 points. She’s five points behind Cappie Pondexter for eighth place.<\/p>\n

Stewart also had four assists and three steals. Sabrina Ionescu scored 17 points, with six assists and three steals, Pauline Astier scored 14, and reserve Marine Johannes 13.<\/p>\n

For the Lynx, Kayla McBride scored 16, Napheesa Collier 14, Courtney Williams 12 and Natasha Williams 11.<\/p>\n

Miles converted a three-point play for a 69-67 Lynx lead with 8:18 left. Stewart responded with a 3-pointer on New York’s following possession and the Liberty never trailed again.<\/p>\n

New York outscored the Lynx 23-12 the rest of the way.<\/p>\n

Despite the loss, Minnesota retained the WNBA\u2019s top seed while the Liberty moved up to sixth.<\/p>\n

New York (25-16) has won eight of its last 11. The Lynx (31-10) have dropped three straight for the first time this season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mitzi Fernandez of Minnetonka already wears glasses, but for a Olivia Miles-inspired goggle giveaway Friday, doubling \u2013 even…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351175,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,11,10],"class_list":["post-351174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351174\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/351175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}