Sabrina Ionescu is a WNBA champion.
The former Oregon Ducks guard and the New York Liberty captured the title with a 67-62 overtime win over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday night in Game 5 in New York.
Ionescu joins former Ducks teammate Nyara Sabally and two-time MVP Breanna Stewart in celebrating the first-ever WNBA championship for New York.
It was a struggle for Ionescu throughout the championship-clincher in Brooklyn: She started 0-13 from the field before nailing a three-pointer with just over three minutes left. Ionescu finished 1 of 19 with five points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Sabally picked up much of the slack, though, including a flurry of drives to the basket in the third quarter to buoy the Liberty offense along with a clutch block in overtime. She finished with 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench for New York.
Ionescu, Sabally and the Ducks were among the national championship favorites in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the NCAA Tournament. Now, they can hoist a trophy at the professional level.
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
