The Minnesota Lynx took care of home court and forced a winner-take-all Game 5 for all the marbles. The New York Liberty and their fans have been more than patient, waiting over 25 years for that illusive title. They will have to wait anxiously at least two more days.
Bridget Carleton, fouled on an offensive rebound by Sabrina Ionescu, sank two crucial free throws with two seconds left in the game and Ionescu could not make magic happen in back-to-back games after she buried a 28-footer on Wednesday, giving the Lynx a dramatic and nail biting 82-80 win in Game 4 to send the WNBA Finals back to Barclays Center for Game 5 on Sunday night.
“It was trying to get a little screen to JJ [Jonquel Jones] to the block,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said of the final play. “If not, Sabrina had to come out with two seconds. We were trying to establish the big girl down low. They defended it well.”
Trailing by five, 80-75, the Liberty went to work. Ionescu made a layup and Jones converted a three-point play to tie it at 80-80 with 1:10 left to play.
After the Lynx Kayla McBride missed, Jones missed a floater and Breanna Stewart, who had been in foul trouble and struggling from the field all night long, missed a follow up as the shot clock expired.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Liberty, an original member of the WNBA in 1997, went into the final frame down by the slimmest of margins, 64-63, with Stewart having four fouls and just eight points, and Ionescu with just six points after putting up a goose egg in the third quarter.
After the Lynx took a five-point advantage to open the quarter, Stewart answered with a reverse layup and drew a foul, completing a three-point play to make it 68-66 with eight minutes to go.
Ionescu tied it back up, 70-70, with a bunny over Courtney Williams and after Jones rejected Cecilia Zandalasin’s shot under the basket, Ionescu found rookie Leonie Fiebich for an easy layup to take the lead 72-70 with six minutes left.
After a 3-point miss from Stewart, the Lynx found Alanna Smith wide open for an easy basket and McBride followed with a shot from downtown to give the Lynx an 80-75 lead.
Ionescu finished with just 10 points and Stewart a mere 11.
The Liberty were carried on the broad shoulders of Jones, who is a former MVP in the league with 21 points and Fiebich scoring 19 and still managed to keep the Lynx from building any more than a six-point lead.
“We did that all season long. If Sab and Stewie are not shooting the ball well, we find other options,” Fiebich said after the loss. “We have other people to step up. Unfortunately, today was not enough.”
The game was the true definition of back and forth, with 14 lead changes, a huge difference from the previous three games that saw big double-digits leads with one team dominating the other.
It was difficult for either team to find separation. There were crashes inside the paint and on the boards, and any time Stewart touched the rock, she was quickly surrounded by the Lynx after the two-time MVP scored a game-high 30 points in Game 3.
“I think that I was going a little bit too fast. Just needed to slow down,” Stewart said. “They’re sending multiple people when I’m setting up for a screen. Just a little bit better awareness on my part. But quick turnaround and be ready for Sunday.”
It was obvious how much this meant to both teams. The first quarter saw six lead changes and Stewart was shut out for the entire 10 minutes, shooting 0-for-7. She made her first bucket three minutes into the second quarter.
The Liberty will be tasked to close out for their first WNBA title in front of their home crowd, where they went 16-4 during the regular season, tying for top honors in the league.
The 48-hour turnaround and the importance on having a short-term memory was the immediate message inside the Liberty locker room, according to Ionescu.
“Can’t hang our heads on this, knowing we just gotta be better,” Ionescu said. “There were times we could put the game away and we didn’t. They chipped away. Close-out games are tough. Teams are going to be giving it their best shot to not end their season and now we gotta go back to New York and take care of business.”
