The New York Liberty are WNBA champions for the first time in their 28-year history after coming from behind to defeat the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in overtime on Sunday night in a heart-stopping winner-take-all Game 5 of the finals.
Jonquel Jones scored 17 points to lead New York on a night when her teammates Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu struggled mightily on the offensive end, combining for 5-of-34 shooting from the floor. The Liberty became the first men’s or women’s basketball team from New York to raise a banner since the ABA’s Nets back in 1976, sending a sellout crowd of 18,090 fans into a state of bedlam at the buzzer.
“I could never dream of this,” said the Bahamian-born Jones, a first-time WNBA champion who was named Most Valuable Player of the finals after averaging 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 54.2% from the field across the five contests. “You know how many times I’ve been denied. It was delayed. I am so happy to do it here.”
Napheesa Collier, the WNBA’s defensive player of the year, scored 22 points to lead Minnesota before fouling out in the dying seconds of overtime. Kayla McBride added 21 for the Lynx.
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The Liberty were one of the original eight WNBA franchises and the lone member of that group to have not won a championship. No longer. After coming up short in five previous finals appearances, including last year against the Las Vegas Aces, a long-sought title is theirs at last.
The Liberty fell behind by as many as 12 points during the first half and didn’t take their first lead until Nyara Sabally’s lay-up with 3:07 left in the third quarter. They trailed 60-58 at the end of regulation when Stewart was fouled with 5.2 seconds left. After the disputed call was upheld following a video replay, Stewart hit both free throws and the game went to overtime when McBride missed a three at the horn.
Afterward Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve decried the “marginal at best” contact on the foul that allowed New York to tie the game, claiming the championship was “stolen” from the Lynx.
“We know we could have done some things, right, but you shouldn’t have to overcome to that extent,” Reeve said. “The headlines will be ‘Reeve cries foul.’ Bring it on. Because this shit was stolen from us.”
Leonie Fiebich’s three-pointer early in overtime put New York ahead for good, before Sabally’s steal and breakaway lay-up opened a 65-60 lead with 3:14 remaining that left Minnesota on the ropes. The Lynx got as close as 65-62 with 18.4 seconds left and possession, but Bridget Carleton’s missed three dashed their hopes.
“That was ugly, but we found a way to win,” New York coach Sandy Brondello said.
Stewart, who never left the floor, finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds and four assists. Ionescu logged five points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while Sabally added a crucial 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench. When it was finished, the capacity crowd celebrated in the stands and the court was showered with streamers and confetti while Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York and Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind played on the arena soundsystem.
“I’ve been manifesting this moment for awhile, There’s no feeling like it,” Stewart said. “Credit to Minnesota they gave us a tough series. The fans have been amazing everywhere we’ve gone. To bring a championship to New York, first ever in franchise history it’s an incredible feeling. I can’t wait to continue to celebrate with the city. it’s going to be bonkers.”
The best-of-five finals between the Liberty and the Lynx will go down as one of the most dramatic in WNBA history. All five games came down to the last few possessions, with the first and fifth contests going to overtime and the third featuring a last-second winner. WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert announced before Game 1 that it will be moving to a best-of-seven format starting with next year’s finals.
Minnesota were denied in their bid for a record fifth WNBA championship, remaining level with the Seattle Storm and Houston Comets on four titles. The Lynx won all of those from 2011 through 2017, featuring a core four of Lindsay Whalen, Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson, but didn’t make it back to the finals until this year.