Geno Auriemma doesn’t remember how many texts he received after Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, when one of his former UConn players missed a free throw that led to overtime and another one hit a jumper with eight seconds left to win it, but many contained a similar sentiment.
His phone buzzed with predictions that Breanna Stewart would dominate Game 2 because “that’s just the way she is.”
Auriemma first met Stewart while recruiting her, and the only time he’d watched her play poorly on a high-stakes stage was Game 4 of the 2023 Finals — when the Aces clinched the title.
So Auriemma knew Stewart’s missed free throw wouldn’t linger.
He knew she’d bounce back as the chess match against the Lynx and Napheesa Collier, her UConn teammate in 2015-16, continued.
“She plays her best basketball in the playoffs,” Auriemma told The Post ahead of Game 3. “And I’m not surprised what transpired in Game 2.”
Auriemma possesses a unique perspective for this WNBA Finals.
Stewart and Collier, second and third in 2024 MVP voting, are the most accomplished players in the series.
The two-way stars are tasked with guarding each other.
They’re also a link to the Huskies’ most recent national championship in 2016.
“When they were here, you know they’re good defenders,” Auriemma said. “You know they’re great defenders, but you don’t know at that time how it’s gonna translate into the league. … They can each get 30 every single night, but I love how they impact the game when they don’t have the ball in their hands.”
During the Finals, Collier has thrived in the lanes, using footwork to create space for fadeaways.
If she catches the ball around the restricted area, Auriemma said, “you know you’re in trouble.”
Stewart can hit 3-pointers and operate from the perimeter, and if that happens, Collier has her “work cut out for her,” Auriemma added.
“They’re the best defenders on their respective teams and two of the best defenders in the league,” Auriemma said, “but at the same time, I think both of them are working really, really hard to create some kind of switch or some kind of matchup issue where they don’t necessarily have to go against each other.”
Two days after Collier’s clutch basket in overtime helped the Lynx snag a 1-0 advantage, Stewart finished with 21 points as Auriemma sat courtside at Barclays Center. She collected seven steals.
She’d moved on from Game 1, joked with Auriemma afterward, played with the “joy and fun” that Auriemma witnessed her and Collier have at UConn.
And it ensured the showdown of his former stars would include at least two more games.
