New York Liberty’s quest for the WNBA title is finally over. The Liberty were crowned champions after outlasting the Minnesota Lynx for a 67-62 overtime win in the deciding Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday.
The Liberty previously made WNBA Finals five times, including last year but failed to seize any of those opportunities. However, they were determined not to be denied again this time around, although there were plenty of scares along the way.
After getting a narrow 82-80 win in Game 4, the Lynx blitzed the Liberty early in Game 5 and jumped to a nine-point lead in the opening quarter. The New York team managed to cut the deficit to seven by the end of the half before outscoring Minnesota 20-10 in the third period to set the stage for a thrilling fourth quarter.
Two teams exchanged leads several times before Napheesa Collier made a two-pointer with just over one minute left on the clock to give Lynx a 60-58 advantage. The Liberty had several opportunities to respond, but Breanna Stewart missed two free throws while Sabrina Ionescu missed two three-point attempts.
Luckily for the Liberty, a shooting foul by Alanna Smith sent Stewart back to the line with five seconds left. Stewart sank both free throws this time and forced overtime.
In overtime, the Liberty was the better team and deservingly claimed the big win.
The best player on the court for the Liberty was Jonquel Jones, who scored 17 points and added six rebounds. She ended up claiming the WNBA Finals MVP honors after averaging 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in the series. Stewart added 13 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists.
