Lynx 95-93 Liberty (Oct. 10, 2024) Game Recap

NEW YORK – Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve has seen a lot in her incredible career, which has included four WNBA championships.

The Lynx's historic comeback to defeat New York 95-93 in a wild first game of the WNBA Finals ranks as one of the best moments ever.

“We are the first team in WNBA playoff history to be down by 15 (in the last 5 minutes) and come back and win the game,” Reeve said. “So this is really important. I think it defines our team. Get through difficult times. We talked about that. You have to be mentally strong and resilient. … I’m thrilled we were able to persevere.”

Minnesota rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit and Napheesa Collier's turnaround jumper with 8.8 seconds left in overtime helped the team win over the New York Liberty on Thursday night.

With the game tied, Collier faked in the lane and scored. New York had a chance to equalize, but Breanna Stewart's layup at the buzzer failed.

“The basketball gods were on our side tonight,” said Courtney Williams, who led Minnesota with 23 points, including a four-point play with 5.5 seconds left.

Collier finished the game with 21 points, eight rebounds, six blocks and three steals.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series takes place on Sunday in New York. Before the game, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league would expand the finals to best-of-seven starting next year.

OT got off to a slow start before Minnesota built an 88-84 lead as New York missed its first six shots. Jonquel Jones finally got the Liberty on the board with a corner 3-pointer with 1:38 left. Williams answered with her own 3-pointer and the teams traded baskets over the next minute. Sabrina Ionescu's steal in the backcourt and layup brought New York to 93-91 with 32.9 left.

Jones then stole the ball in midfield and scored the equalizer four seconds later. Minnesota worked down the clock before Collier's basket broke the tie.

The Liberty blew an 11-point lead in the final 3:23 of regulation as Minnesota scored 12 straight points, capped by Williams' four-point play.

The Liberty made the most of the final seconds. After Stewart's first shot was blocked by a second shot from the left and went out of bounds, Ionescu hit the ball to her under the basket and she was fouled. The officials reviewed the play to see if the foul occurred before the buzzer sounded and concluded it did, awarding Stewart two free throws with 0.8 seconds left.

She hit the first of two free throws while the second rolled over the rim. Williams' shot on the other side missed and the game went into OT.

“We just take it on the chin, you know. We were way ahead and then we had a wild sequence at the end of the fourth,” Stewart said. “Overtime didn’t start off so well. I ended up with a great look and didn't make it. But I think this is a series. Of course we really wanted to win at home. But the nice thing is that we have one more game on Sunday and we will be ready.”

Jones led New York with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Ionescu finished with 19 and Stewart with 18.

New York scored exactly against Minnesota, which played in the semifinals just two days after defeating Connecticut. The Liberty built an 18-point lead in the first half before the Lynx rallied.

The 18-point rally tied the New York Liberty's record, which they set in 1999 in Game 2 of the Finals, which ended with Teresa Weatherspoon's historic half-court shot.

Both teams want to make history in this series. The Liberty are seeking the franchise's first championship while the Lynx are vying for a league-record fifth. They were the best teams of the regular season and finished in the top two spots in the standings.

New York is in the Finals for the second straight year and hopes to soothe the scar of its loss to the Las Vegas Aces in 2023. Minnesota is appearing in the championship round for the first time since 2017, when the team won its fourth straight title in a seven-year period.

The Liberty had lost two of the three regular-season meetings against Minnesota and the Commissioner's Cup championship, but both teams said those games didn't really matter on the road to the championship.

The Lynx were able to contain Jones in all three wins, with the Liberty's star center scoring in single digits each time. By the end of the first quarter, it reached double digits on Thursday.

Minnesota held New York to 38% shooting and improved to 181-11 since 2011, when the team held an opponent under 40% shooting.

The star-studded New York crowd of 17,732 was, as it has been all season, loud and spirited. Spike Lee, Jason Sudeikis, Meek Mill and New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos were all in attendance. Lee wore an Ionescu jersey.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball