For Breanna Stewart, there’s one silver lining to her New York Liberty blowing an 18-point lead in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
“The beauty is, we have another game on Sunday, and we’ll be ready,” said Stewart, who missed a layup at the buzzer that would’ve sent the game into a second overtime. “I had a look at the end and didn’t make it.”
Instead, her former UConn teammate Napheesa Collier’s shot with 8.8 seconds to play — a turnaround, fadeaway mid-range jumper with Jonquel Jones’ hand in her face — stood as the game-winner as the visiting Minnesota Lynx began the best-of-five series with a 95-93 victory over the Liberty on Thursday.
Collier, the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, had 21 points, eight rebounds and six blocks. Minnesota’s Courtney Williams had 23 points and five assists and connected on a handful of timely shots late, while Kayla McBride added 22 points.
Jones led the Liberty with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Sabrina Ionescu had 19 points, Stewart scored 18 and Leonie Fiebich tallied 17.
With the loss, Stewart will have to take her steadfastness and optimism into Game 2, which is set for Sunday in New York.
“We just take it on the chin,” Stewart said.
Added Liberty coach Sandy Brondello: “We missed a lot of shots. But look, defensively, they executed better than us. We have to be better. We’re a better team than what we showed today.”
The end of regulation was one of the wildest sequences in the history of the WNBA Finals — and that was after the Lynx trailed by 15 with 5:20 left in regulation.
Williams, double-covered and falling over, nailed an improbable 3-pointer while being fouled by Ionescu with 5.5 seconds to play and then knocked down the ensuing free throw to give the Lynx their first lead of the night.
“We have so many great 3-point shooters, and the fact that these girls are trying to get me the ball, I could cry,” Williams said. “We believe in each other so much … I don’t know where (the shot) ranks. It’s No. 1 right now because we’re here.”
The comeback for the Lynx was tied for the largest in WNBA Finals history.
Minnesota is the first team in the history of the WNBA playoffs to win a game after trailing by at least 15 points in the final five minutes of regulation.
“She was amazing. Just the aggression from her, the playmaking,” Collier said of Williams. “That’s my point guard right there.”
On the Liberty’s next possession — after the ball was knocked out of bounds and a jump ball was called — Collier blocked Stewart’s first shot attempt before New York got one more chance with one second left.
The ball again went to Stewart, who attempted a close shot in traffic that did not find the rim. As the buzzer was sounding, a referee whistled for a shooting foul on Collier, sending Stewart to the line.
Stewart connected on the first of two free throws to tie the score but missed the second. With 0.5 seconds left, Williams’ final shot attempt of regulation didn’t come close.
The Liberty led for most of the game after opening with a 19-8 run that saw Jones score eight points but also featured a key sequence in which New York knocked down three straight 3-pointers — two from Fiebich and one from Stewart.
However, Minnesota closed the fourth quarter with an 18-3 run to ultimately send the game to overtime. Williams scored eight points during that stretch, including the crucial four-point-play.
The Lynx shot 50.7 percent from the floor for the game, while the Liberty finished at 37.8 percent.
In overtime, New York shot 4-for-13 and Minnesota went 5-for-8.
The Lynx are now 4-1 against the Liberty this year.
–Field Level Media
