An unforgettable year of women’s basketball ended in thrilling fashion on Sunday night, as the New York Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx in overtime of Game 5 to win the WNBA Finals.
This is the Liberty’s first-ever championship, an elusive one for a franchise that has been to the WNBA Finals five times since 1997, including last year when they lost to the Las Vegas Aces.
But Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and the rest of the stars in Brooklyn wouldn’t be denied this time, though the Lynx were searching for its fifth ring for the organization. And they were doing everything they could to make sure the Liberty went another year searching for that Finals victory.
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It was only right that the final game of this title series came down to yet another close battle, this time requiring extra time on the clock after four quarters to determine who lifted the trophy.
The reason the Liberty and Lynx had to get here was due to Minnesota star Napheesa Collier hitting two layups to go up 60-58 with one minute left on the fourth-quarter clock.
New York had its own superstar in Stewart, at the free throw line with 38 seconds to play with a chance to tie the game, but she was unable to hit both of her free throws, and despite an offensive rebound, Sabrina Ionescu wasn’t able to hit a stepback three pointer in an attempt to take the lead.
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But the Liberty got a stop on Collier on the next trip down the floor, as Stewart grabbed the defensive rebound, giving New York a chance to tie the game or take the lead.
Stewart was the one with the ball on the other end, and as she went for her layup, officials called a shooting foul on Alanna Smith, but the Lynx were furious with the call. It was challenged, but the call was upheld, allowing Stewart two more free throws with five seconds to play to tie the game.
This time, Stewart was money, hitting both of her shots to make it 60-60. The Lynx had a chance to end the game with the final shot, and Kayla McBride had a clean look from 25 feet out, but her three-pointer was just short, banging off the front of the rim before the Liberty got the rebound to close out regulation time.
While Ionescu and Stewart’s prowess on the offensive end got the Liberty to this point in the season, they both really struggled shooting in this game. But it was Leonie Fiebich who knocked down the first bucket of overtime for the Liberty, drilling a three-pointer to take the 63-60 lead.
Both teams would go up and down the court without seeing the ball go through the hoop, as Lynx crafty guard Courtney Williams couldn’t get her shots to go, while Ionescu continued to struggle.
But Nyara Sabally was able to pick off McBride’s pass and put the Liberty up five with an easy transition layup.
With 1:51 left on the overtime clock, McBride was finally able to get the Lynx on the board with two free throws to make it a three-point game. But the Lynx couldn’t hit a single shot from the field, and it ultimately cost them the title.
Stewart buried two free throws with 10 seconds to go, putting the Liberty up five and up for good as the Barclays Center erupted. Fiebich made them go even crazier when she intercepted the Lynx’s inbound pass to seal the win.
Ionescu was a brutal 1-for-19 from the floor, including 1-of-10 from three-point territory, and Stewart went 4-of-15 with five free throws for a total 13 points. Jonquel Jones, though, was very efficient with 17 points on 5-of-10 from the floor and a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Sabally also contributed 13 points off the bench.
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For the Lynx, Collier and McBride did their best to take home the trophy with 22 and 21 points respectively. But it ultimately wasn’t enough in the end, as the Liberty were filled with emotions and celebration on their home court.
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