WNBA Finals: Liberty Stunned as Lynx Mount Comeback to Take Game 1 in OT

The New York Liberty's second straight trip to the WNBA Finals had an inauspicious start on Thursday, as they dropped the series opener 95-93 in overtime to the visiting Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center.

The star-studded veteran Liberty team missed crucial opportunities to seal the deal, as a lopsided first half in favor of the Liberty did not foretell the outcome as the Lynx came back to win after trailing by 18 points in the second quarter, tied for the largest comeback in WNBA Finals history.

The home team put the visitors in a huge hole sparked by Liberty center Jonquel Jones, who scored 10 first quarter points on efficient 4-5 shooting.

The Liberty held a 16-point lead at 30-14 with a minute left in the first quarter, and the onslaught continued in the top half of the second quarter, with New York opening its biggest lead of the game.

When the score stood at 39-21 at the 6:24 mark of the second period, the lead seemed insurmountable.The Lynx whittled the lead to 8 points and went into the locker room down 44-36 at the half.

The third quarter was a back and forth affair and the visitors were able to shave a few points off the lead and went into the final frame trailing 68-61. 

The adjustments made by Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve paid dividends in the fourth quarter. Horrid shooting by guard Sabrina Ionescu and power forward Breanna Stewart, who were a combined 10-31 for the first three quarters, caught up to the Liberty, who played in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,732 people.

Defensively, the Lynx focused on Jones, who had 17 points on 6-8 shooting before the final frame, but was held to 2 points on only two shot attempts in the fourth quarter. In contrast, Stewart and Ionesco continued their futility going a combined 2-9 in the fourth quarter.

When Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton hit a 3-pointer at the 5:20 mark of the fourth period, she pushed the advantage to 15 points and the Liberty led the Lynx 81-66.

That advantage, however, was lost in a New York minute as the Lynx buckled down, clogged up the passing lanes and stormed back while the Liberty missed foul shots, jump balls and blew layups. 

The final seconds of the fourth quarter and overtime were a nail biter. With 0.8 second remaining in the fourth quarter, Stewart missed the back end of a pair of foul shots which would have finished the game with a Liberty win. 

With the game tied 84-84, it was nip and tuck during overtime. With 8.8 seconds remaining, Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who finished the game with 21 points and 8 rebounds, hit a turnaround jump shot to push the score to 95-93. 

After a timeout, Stewart found the ball but missed a layup that would have tied the game, sealing the victory for the Lynx.  

The Lynx are the first team in WNBA post-season history to win a game after trailing by 15-plus points in the final five minutes of regulation. This is the sixth overtime game in WNBA Finals history.

During the post-game press conference, Stewart said all her team can do is play hard in the next game.

“I wanna be taking these shots, and knowing that my teammates have confidence in me is important, so now it’s like onto the next," she said.

The Liberty play the Lynx in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 3:00pm at Barclays Center.