Oct. 21 (UPI) — Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty overcame a slow start and rallied from a dozen-point deficit to force overtime and slip by the Minnesota Lynx for the franchise’s first WNBA title.
Stewart, who is now a three-time champion, totaled 13 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in the 67-62 triumph Sunday in Brooklyn. Liberty center Jonquel Jones chipped in 17 points and six rebounds in the Game 5 series finale.
“I’ve been manifesting this moment for a while,” Stewart told reporters. “There is no feeling like it. Credit to Minnesota. They gave us a tough series.
“To be able to bring a championship to New York, the first ever in franchise history, it’s an incredible feeling.”
Neither team was efficient offensively, with the Lynx and Liberty making just 37.1% and 30.6% of their respective shot attempts. They combined to make just five of 42 3-point attempts. Liberty sharpshooter Sabrina Ionescu made just 1 of 19 shots. She was 1 of 10 from 3-point range.
“Man, that was ugly, but we found a way to win,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “I’m really proud of our team, how resilient we were, how we stuck together and how we continued to trust each other.”
The Lynx outscored the Liberty 44-38 in the paint, but were out-rebounded 44-33. The game featured five lead changes and was tied five times. Lynx forward Napheesa Collier scored 22 points in the loss. Veteran guard Kayla McBride chipped in 21 points for the Lynx.
The Lynx scored the first six points of the game and carried a 19-10 lead into the second quarter. Collier scored eight points over the first 10 minutes. The Lynx went on to push their lead to 12 points in the second quarter and led 34-27 at halftime.
Stewart and the Liberty jumped back into the game with an 11-1 run, which spanned from late in the second quarter through the first five minutes of the third, and cut the deficit to 35-33.
Center Nyara Sabally, who came off the bench to score 11 points in the second half and overtime, gave the Liberty their first lead on a free throw with 1:57 remaining. The Liberty carried a 47-44 advantage into the fourth quarter, but exchanged the lead three times with their foes down the final stretch of regulation. Stewart made two free throws with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Veteran forward Leonie Fiebich made a corner 3-pointer just seconds into the bonus period for a 63-60 advantage and the Liberty never trailed again. Sabally stole the ball from the Lynx and made a layup less than two minutes later. Stewart then sank two more free throws in the final seconds to ice the victory.
The Lynx went 0 for 6 on field goal attempts in overtime.
Jones, who averaged 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds en route to WNBA Finals MVP honors, made 56.1% of her shots in the series. Stewart, who also won WNBA titles in 2018 and 2020 while with the Seattle Storm, averaged 18.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in the 2024 WNBA Finals.
