New York Liberty win first WNBA championship in franchise history
The New York Liberty won their first WNBA championship Sunday, defeating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in an overtime thriller to win the series in five games.
The New York Liberty won their first WNBA championship Sunday, defeating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in an overtime thriller to win the series in five games.
The Liberty entered the finals as the lone original WNBA franchise without a championship, having lost in their previous five finals appearances. New York most recently made the championship round last year when it lost to the Las Vegas Aces.
Game 5 required a comeback, as the Lynx raced out to a nine-point lead after the first quarter, which only shrank to seven by halftime. But New York erased the deficit with a big third quarter, outscoring the Lynx 20-10.
After a back-and-forth fourth quarter, Breanna Stewart hit two free throws with 5 seconds left to tie the game before Minnesota couldn’t score on its last possession of regulation.
The Liberty won the final period 7 to 2. It also benefited from some close calls late, including the blocking foul that sent Stewart to the line to tie the game in the fourth, which was upheld on review.
Rating: 5