After five lost finals since the creation of the WNBA in 1996, the New York Liberty finally picked up their first title on Sunday at home.
The Liberty was crowned at the end of the suspense, thanks to a 67-62 success after overtime against the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the final.
Beaten in particular last year against Las Vegas at the final stadium, the Liberty broke their curse after a breathtaking decisive match. The New York franchise was able to overcome a failed start to the match and the total shooting failure of its leaders Breanna Stewart (4/15) and Sabrina Ionescu (1/19 including 1/10 at 3 points) to dominate the Lynx who were hoping win their 5th trophy.
Overwhelmed at the start of the match and unable to score from afar, New York returned to the game with options to play inside, notably with Jonquel Jones (17 points, 6 rebounds), named MVP of the finals. The Liberty regained control in the 3rd quarter, winning 20-10, but Minnesota offered an unbreathable 4th quarter in the superb atmosphere of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Stewart controls his nerves
A few seconds after missing two free throws, Stewart caught herself at the line to tie the score at 60-60, respond to a new basket from Napheesa Collier (22 points) and snatch overtime, Kayla McBride (21 points) missing the match point by far.
Leonie Fiebich (13 points) freed the Liberty by scoring three points at the start of overtime (the 2nd and last winning shot for the Liberty of the entire match!). And Breanna Stewart sealed this historic coronation by making two new free throws 10”1 from the end of the extra period.
/ATS
