New York Liberty wins the first WNBA championship in franchise history

The New York Liberty won their first championship in franchise history on Sunday, defeating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in an overtime thriller to win the series in five games.

The Liberty reached the 2024 WNBA Finals as the only original WNBA franchise without a championship, losing in their last five Finals appearances. New York last made it to the championship round in 2023 when it lost to the Las Vegas Aces.

Game 5 required a comeback, as the Lynx jumped out to a nine-point lead after the first quarter, only to shrink to seven at halftime. But New York erased the deficit with a strong third quarter, outscoring the Lynx 20-10.

After a back-and-forth fourth quarter, Breanna Stewart hit two free throws with 5.0 seconds left to tie the game before Minnesota failed to score on its final regulation possession.

The Liberty won the final period seven to two. They also benefited from some close calls late on, including the blocking foul that sent Stewart to the line to tie the game in the fourth period, which was upheld upon review.

New York shot 25 free throws compared to the Lynx’s eight.

Liberty’s Game 5 victory was largely led by Jonquel Jones, Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally, while stars Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu struggled for most of the evening.

Stewart scored just 13 points on 4 of 15 shooting in the decisive throw. In the last playoffs, she shot 3 of 17 against the Aces in the final game of the Finals.

In her fourth season, Ionescu provided heroics on numerous occasions in the postseason. However, in the final game of the series, she scored just five points on one of 19 shots.

Jones, on the other hand, was a matchup problem on Sunday. She finished the game with a team-leading 17 points and six rebounds. Fiebich and Sabally added 13 each.

Early in the series, Ionescu made one of the greatest shots in Liberty history, a three-pointer in the final seconds of Game 3 that proved to be the game-winner – giving New York a 2-1 lead.