Nyara Sabally picked a good night to play one of the best games of her life.
In the first overtime winner-take-all Finals game in WNBA history, Sabally had 13 points and 7 rebounds off the bench — and connected on a breakaway layup in overtime that proved to be crucial game-sealing points — as the host New York Liberty defeated the visiting Minnesota Lynx, 67-62, in Game 5 to win their first championship in franchise history on Sunday, October 20 (Monday, October 21, Manila time).
It was the first double-digit scoring performance of the postseason for Sabally. Her steal and fast break bucket with 3:14 to play put the Liberty ahead 65-60. The Lynx would knock down two free throws to trim the deficit to 3 points, but never got any closer. Sabally blocked Napheesa Collier’s layup attempt with 1:18 to play, and Breanna Stewart later padded the Liberty lead with a pair of free throws.
The Lynx had the ball with 18.4 seconds to play in overtime with a chance to tie, but Bridget Carleton’s three-point attempt missed the mark.
Stewart, who never came out of the game, finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists. Two free throws from her at the end of regulation sent the game into overtime. The Liberty also got 17 points from Jonquel Jones, 13 points from Leonie Fiebich, and 5 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds from Sabrina Ionescu.
Jones was named Finals MVP after averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds per game throughout the series.
The Liberty won despite Stewart and Ionescu — its two Olympians — combining for 5-of-34 shooting from the floor.
Collier, who fouled out with 13 seconds left in overtime, powered Minnesota with 22 points and 7 rebounds, while Kayla McBride had 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.
Minnesota opened the decisive final game of the season with a 6-0 run and finished the first quarter ahead 19-10. Collier scored 8 points in the opening frame and 6 more in the second. At halftime, the Lynx maintained a seven-point lead.
The momentum of the game seemed to swing in the Liberty’s favor midway through the third quarter when Sabally entered the game. When the third-year forward out of Oregon checked in, the Liberty trailed by 5 points. At the end of the third quarter — and after Sabally piled up 9 points and 2 rebounds in about four-and-a-half minutes — New York led Minnesota by 3 points. Each of Sabally’s three field goals in the third frame were assisted by her former Oregon teammate, Ionescu.
“I feel like we just had to settle in, honestly,” Sabally said. “I’m blessed. Look at this arena. This is what I’ve been dreaming off.”
While Sabally soared, Ionescu struggled mightily, missing each of her first 14 shot attempts from the floor. According to ESPN, it marked the most consecutive misses in a winner-take-all game in WNBA history. Ionescu didn’t make her first field goal until there was 3:10 left to play, as she connected on a three-pointer from 28 feet out on an assist from Stewart that put the Liberty ahead by 4 points.
A late surge from Minnesota, capped off by back-to-back baskets from Collier, gave the Lynx a two-point lead with 1:04 to play. With less than six seconds left, Stewart tied the game up after being fouled and then knocking down a pair of free throws. McBride’s late look from three-point land didn’t connect for Minnesota as the game went to overtime.
For a team that plays in the New York borough of Brooklyn, the championship won by the Liberty is the first for a Brooklyn-based team since Major League Baseball’s Dodgers won the World Series in 1955. – Rappler.com