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How Stewart, Ionescu and Liberty are one win away from the WNBA title

That felt familiar. Nearly a week ago, the Minnesota Lynx erased an 18-point deficit to win Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on the road.

On Wednesday, the New York Liberty rallied from 15 down in Minneapolis to win Game 3.

And now New York is one win away from its first WNBA championship.

Breanna Stewart almost wanted the Liberty to win, totaling 30 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. She scored 13 straight Liberty points in the third and fourth quarters.

But Sabrina Ionescu hit the game winner, a 28-foot 3-pointer with 1 second left. It is the second-longest go-ahead field goal in the final five seconds in WNBA Finals history, behind Teresa Weatherspoon’s 45-foot heave for New York in Game 2 of the 1999 Finals.

Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier scored 22 points in the loss and has 249 in the 2024 playoffs, breaking Diana Taurasi’s 15-year-old record for most points in a single postseason (245).

The WNBA Finals — the first series in WNBA playoff history to feature multiple 15-point comeback victories — continues with Game 4 on Friday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Before then, ESPN explains how the Liberty won Game 3.

What changed for Ionescu?

For most of Wednesday’s game, it was hard to tell whether Ionescu was biding her time or being taken out of the game by Kayla McBride’s defense. Ionescu did not attempt a field goal until there was 5:17 left in the second quarter. Her first made field goal came on the final possession of the first half.

Then — perhaps driven by the learnings of last year’s Finals loss, her poor shooting in Game 1 and her minimal contribution in Game 2 — she became the best player on the floor for what might be the greatest minute and a half in Liberty could be. history.

First came a beautiful pass to Jonquel Jones, who hit a layup with 1:31 to go to give New York its first lead, 74-73, since 5-4. Then came Ionescu’s 22-foot three-pointer with 55 seconds left, surpassed only by the 28-foot game-winner – a shot that will never be forgotten in Liberty history as they win their first title.

Before that final basket, Ionescu was 0-for-5 in the final from 3-point range when guarded by McBride, according to ESPN Research.


How much did Alanna Smith’s back injury affect the match?

The Lynx led 41-28 when Smith, who averaged 9.6 points per game and shot 56.1% in the playoffs, went hard after pinning Jones with 2:52 left in the first half. Although the Lynx forward was able to start both the third and fourth quarters, Smith only played a total of 6:37 after halftime.

Minnesota turned to Myisha Hines-Allen, who averaged 4.0 points per game in the postseason. New York adjusted and left Hines-Allen open on the perimeter. That allowed Stewart to move around defensively, and the strategy worked. Minnesota made just two field goals in the final 6:39, giving New York just enough space to complete the third-largest comeback in finals history.


What was different in the fourth quarter?

Stewart once again became a dominant force and New York rode its superstar to the comeback. She sparked the Liberty rally with a brilliant third quarter, and the break between periods didn’t slow Stewart’s momentum. After missing a tip early in the quarter, Stewart made three consecutive field goals, single-handedly answering everything Minnesota did as a team.

By the time she finished, Stewart had scored 13 straight Liberty points from the end of the third to the 6:18 mark of the fourth, tying the score at 69. That is the most consecutive team points scored by one player in the WNBA Finals. history, according to ESPN Research. Her 30-point, 11-rebound night was her second 30-10 Finals game of her career. Jones, as a member of the Connecticut Sun in 2019, is the only other player to do it.

Stewart’s defense, whether it was guarding Collier — who shot 9-for-22 in the game and went 0-for-3 with just two free throws in the final 8:46 — or roaming the lane when Hines- All in the match was the game was also at MVP level. She had 4 blocks one game after her Finals record 7 steals in Game 2.


Did Minnesota get tight or tired over time?

In many ways, Wednesday was a reversal of Game 1. This time, Minnesota took an early lead at home and New York made the comeback late. As Stewart and then Ionescu seemed to gain energy in the second half, the Lynx perhaps began to feel the effects of playing five games against Connecticut in the semifinals and having a shorter bench due to Smith’s injury.

McBride, who did such a good job guarding Ionescu in the series, lost her twice in the final minute for that pair of three-pointers. Collier had a tough fourth quarter offensively and the Lynx shot 5-for-18 in the final 10 minutes. The largest Lynx crowd ever of 19,521 wasn’t enough to lift Minnesota to the kind of play that won Game 1.