Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty are one win away from claiming the franchise’s first WNBA title after a shocking 80-77 victory over the Minnesota Lynx in Game 3 of the Finals on Wednesday, taking a 2-1 series lead.
With the score tied at 77 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Liberty star Ionescu nailed the game-winning three-pointer from near the logo with just over two seconds left in the game.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Liberty in the lead-up to the game-winning goal, however. They trailed Lynx guard Kayla McBride at halftime, who finished the first half with 13 points.
The Liberty found some fight and clawed back in the second half behind Breanna Stewart.
The Liberty tied the game 66-66 midway through the fourth quarter after Stewart nailed a three-pointer. Both teams continued to trade scores until Liberty forward Jonquel Jones laid out her team, and Ionescu would add a three-pointer with just under a minute left to make it a 77-73 game.
But it wasn’t over yet, as Lynx star Napheesa Collier made both free throws to tie the game at 77 with 16 seconds left.
Ionescu, who struggled for most of the game, would get the inbounds pass and be a hero for Liberty to complete the 15-point comeback, the third-largest comeback in WNBA Finals history.
Stewart finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, while Ionescu added 13 points, six assists and five rebounds. She joked after the game that she couldn’t remember the final play.
“I had to watch the video really fast to see how far I was,” Ionescu told reporters, adding, “Sometimes it goes in and sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve practiced that shot a thousand times in my head, on the court, and I feel like that’s just something where as an athlete you put yourself in that position to make a shot.”
Ionescu later called it the “biggest shot of my career and hopefully not the last.”
Game 4 is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Minneapolis.
Stewart acknowledged that the team is now one win away from capturing its historic first title, but said the job isn’t done yet.
“We know we’re one game away from winning the championship, and I think they’re going to give us their best shot,” she said. “They’re going to give it everything they’ve got, and you know, so are we. The turnaround is quick, but we’re still ready.”
Despite the loss, Collier also made WNBA history herself.
The 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year finished with 22 points to increase her postseason points total to 249. She passes Diana Taurasi for the most in a single postseason in WNBA history, which was originally established in 2009.