The New York Liberty are one win away from earning their first WNBA Championship; ever.
After getting down big early to the Lynx, the Liberty came out of the second half composed and determined, eventually completing a 15-point comeback. The comeback was completed by a 28-foot last second shot by Sabrina Ionescu to put the Liberty on top 80-77. Taking a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five matchup, and exploding the internet all in one.
Ionescu had struggled early, starting one for four from the field. However, it is always unwise to count her out as she has displayed her clutch gene throughout her young career and in this postseason. After hitting another clutch three with a minute to go to make the score 77-73, Sabrina was empowered by her head coach to “shoot the shot.” Shoot the shot she did.
“I’ve practiced that shot 1,000 times. In my head (and) on the court.” Ionescu later said. “Definitely the biggest shot of my career, and hopefully not the last.”
Today, all anyone is talking about is the biggest shot in WNBA Finals history, but I beg you not to overlook the 30 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks that former MVP Breanna Stewart posted to lead the charge. Sabrina Ionescu was sure to give Stewie her flowers postgame.
“Obviously we don’t win this game without Stewie. What she was able to do, just continued to chip away.” She said. “That shot was nice but that doesn’t go against what she was able to do for us tonight and how she was able to will us back into that game.”
Stewart credited the team’s patience and commitment to their style of play for the win postgame.
“I think that we were all just waiting for our moment, waiting for the script to flip a little bit.” Stewart said Wednesday night. “They talked about the first five minutes, the would come out and punch you. They punched us in the face first quarter, and we continued to wear them down. We knew that our pace was something that made them tired.”
Stewart then focused more on her performance as an individual, rather than the team as a whole.
“For me it was like, I was motivated, I was mad, and I liked my matchups.”
In the loss, Lynx star Napheesa Collier managed to make history by increasing her single-season postseason point total to 249, after posting 22 points. She passed Diana Taurasi for the most single-season postseason points in WNBA history, a record that hasn’t been touched since 2009.
Minnesota Head Coach and 2024 Coach of the Year Cheryl Reaves believes the difference maker in the second half for Breanna Stewart was the difference in foul calls.
“She got fouled, she was asserting herself in that way.” Reeves said after the game. “You know that game is called differently for Phee (Napheesa) than it is for Stewie for sure. You look at the same level of activity and the around the rim contact, for whatever reason we have a hard time getting to the foul line.”
Game four is Friday in Minneapolis at 8PM, and don’t expect the Lynx to go down easy.
Written by Raven Ullah, WUFO Intern
