New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart has enjoyed playing against former college teammate Napheesa Collier in the 2024 WNBA Finals and apparantly, so has Geno Auriemma. The longtime UConn women's basketball head coach has watched many of his former players reach the Finals like a proud father from afar but made the trip to Brooklyn for Game 2 to witness the matchup in person.

After the game, one that the Liberty won 80-66 to even the series at 1-1, Stewart embraced her former coach and mentor in the Barclays center. She joked that it was “about time” he made the trip to watch her play as a professional, per ESPN, claiming that it was the first time he did so.

Stewart and Collier were both members of the 2015-2016 UConn Huskies team that was the last to bring a national championship back to Storrs. Stewart was a senior who averaged 19.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game that year while Collier was a freshman who saw just 17.2 minutes per game behind her.

Along with the two main stars of the series, Auriemma also coached Minnesota Lynx reserve forward Dorka Juhasz at UConn. With just 12 teams in the WNBA, Auriemma has had at least one former player in nearly every Finals matchup since the league's inception in 1996.

Game 3 of the 2024 WNBA Finals will commence on Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on ESPN from the Target Center in Minnesota.

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Liberty even series at 1-1

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) dribbles the ball against the Las Vegas Aces during game one of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Two games into the 2024 WNBA Finals, the Liberty and Lynx are tied at one game apiece with the series shifting to Minneapolis. Minnesota stole Game 1 on the road with a 95-93 win in overtime but New York avoided an 0-2 hole in Game 2, evening out the field with an 80-66 victory.

Unsurprisingly, Collier led the way for the Lynx in their Game 1 victory with Stewart taking over in Game 2. Guards Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Williams have been key supporting pieces for both sides as well, with the latter's four-point play in Game 1 a pivotal moment in determining the outome.

Behind Stewart's game-high 21 points in Game 2, Bentijah Laney-Hamilton stepped up for the Liberty with 20. The defensive stalwart scored her most points in a game since early July when she dropped 20 points against the Indiana Fever in a losing effort during the regular season.