It bucked the series’ trend so far, but the New York Liberty came from behind to stun the Minnesota Lynx on their home floor, 80-77, in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. With one second remaining in the fourth quarter and the score tied 77-77, Sabrina Ionescu quieted what had been a raucous Target Center crowd, nailing one of the biggest shots in WNBA Finals history to help the Liberty secure a 2-1 series advantage.
“I trusted my preparation. I’m built for this moment,” Ionescu told ESPN’s Holly Rowe during the game broadcast. “I missed one that could’ve sealed the game, and I just got an open look, and I trusted that I could make it.”
The Lynx showed tremendous resiliency, coming back to win Game 1, but on Wednesday, it was the Liberty’s turn. New York led 5-4 less than a minute into Game 3 but didn’t jump ahead of Minnesota again until there was 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Trailing by 10 after one quarter and by as many as 15 in the first half, the Liberty outscored the Lynx 45-34 after halftime, led by Ionescu’s huge shot and a ridiculous second-half performance from two-time MVP Breanna Stewart.
Wednesday’s game-winner wasn’t the only colossal shot Ionescu made in the fourth quarter. With 55.1 seconds left, she hit only her second three-pointer of the night after starting 1-of-6 from beyond the arc, giving the Liberty a 77-73 lead.
Meanwhile, Stewart had only eight points at the break on 3-of-8 shooting but turned it on in the second half, scoring 22 points, nearly half of the Liberty’s output. The six-time All-Star finished with a game-high 30 points, passing Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie for seventh on the WNBA’s all-time playoff scoring list.
Her performance was also historic:
Conversely, Minnesota crumbled under the pressure late after coming out with guns blazing in front of the largest crowd in the franchise’s history. Entering the fourth quarter up by one, 62-61, the Lynx shot just 5-of-12 in the final stanza, all but sealing their fate.
Despite the loss, the Lynx received stellar outings from Napheesa Collier (22 points, nine rebounds, five steals) and Kayla McBride (19 points, five three-pointers). Although, after giving the Liberty their best shot, they’ll have to go back to the drawing board ahead of Game 4 on Friday.
Falling behind the Lynx in the best-of-five series, 1-0, the Liberty have responded in a big way. First, with an impressive 14-point victory in Game 2 followed by Wednesday’s come-from-behind effort, proving they can win any style of game put in front of them.
Now, only one more victory stands between New York and its first WNBA title.
