MINNEAPOLIS — Sabrina Ionescu watched Breanna Stewart carry the New York Liberty all recreation, till it was time to win it.
Then the ball was hers.
“In the timeout, (coach) Sandy (Brondello) was like, ‘You’re going to shoot the shot,’” Ionescu stated.
The star guard from Walnut Creek made it, a 3-pointer from 28 toes with a second remaining that gave the Liberty an 80-77 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday night time and moved them a win away from an elusive first WNBA title.
New York leads the finals 2-1 — the primary time it has ever been forward within the championship spherical — and might win the collection Friday night time in Minnesota.
“We know we’re one game away from winning the championship, and I think that they are going to give us their best shot,” stated Stewart, who received two titles with Seattle. “They are going to give everything they have got, and you know what, so are we. The turnaround is quick but we are going to continue to be ready.
Ionescu said she had to watch replay of her shot after the game to see exactly what happened.
“I didn’t even really remember it. I had to go look at the video really quickly to see like how far I was,” she stated. “I feel like I was able to get a little separation in range and get a really good shot to go.”
With the sport tied at 77, Ionescu had the ball and dribbled round earlier than pulling up just a few steps behind the arc and hitting from 28 toes to interrupt the tie.
“It’s pretty special. It was never in doubt. Obviously Stewie got us back in there, willed us in there, but I thought the right time, this is Sabrina,” Brondello stated. “She just made a big shot. She’s a great shooter and she just needed a little bit of separation.”
Stewart scored 22 of the group’s 45 factors within the second half and completed with 30 factors, 11 rebounds and 4 blocked photographs.
“We don’t win this game without Stewie,” Ionescu stated. “There’s nothing I can say. That shot’s nice, but what she was able to do for us tonight willed us back into the game.”
Minnesota didn’t get an actual shot to tie on the buzzer.
“Great player made a good shot,” Minnesota guard Kayla McBride stated. “I guarded her for 40 minutes.””The Liberty erased a 15-point deficit to maneuver one victory from profitable their first title.
“There’s a lot of things that we didn’t do right tonight and have a kind of quick memory,” Stewart stated. “I think that we’re happy we got this win but the job’s not done.”
The Liberty have appeared within the finals 5 occasions earlier than, together with final season, and misplaced each.
Trailing 73-69 with 2:26 left within the fourth quarter, the Liberty scored eight straight factors, together with the primary 5 by Jonquel Jones. Ionescu, who had a comparatively quiet recreation, then hit one other 3-pointer after a Lynx miss to make it 77-73 with 55.5 left.
Bridget Carleton bought the Lynx inside 77-75 with a layup 21 seconds later. On New York’s subsequent possession, Ionescu had a 3-pointer go midway by means of the basket earlier than coming out and Minnesota bought the rebound.
Napheesa Collier was then fouled with 16 seconds left and hit each free throws to tie it establishing the thrilling end.
Collier completed with 22 factors and McBride 19 for Minnesota.
“Our defense gave us a chance to win the game, period, and our offense is going to help our defense,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve stated. “If you told me that we would have got the amount of stops that we did and we were playing off that, and we wouldn’t have scored 80, that would be surprising to me.”
The Lynx flipped the script of the primary two video games, constructing a double-digit lead within the first half.
Minnesota, which solely led for simply over three minutes within the first two contests, was up 60-50 with 2:28 left within the third quarter earlier than the Liberty closed to 62-61 by the tip of the interval. Stewart scored the ultimate 5 factors, together with a three-point play with 19 seconds left.
She then scored the primary eight factors for New York within the fourth quarter, tying the sport at 69 with one other three-point play with 6:18 left.
Carleton hit two free throws to interrupt the tie 12 seconds later. Neither group would rating once more till Courtney Williams hit a baseline pullup with 2:26 left to present the Lynx a four-point benefit.
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) makes a 3-point basket throughout the second half towards the Minnesota Lynx in Recreation 3 of a WNBA basketball last playoff collection, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Minneapolis. The Liberty received 80-77. (AP Photograph/Abbie Parr)
