The Liberty won its first title in a classic end to a classic series, beating the Lynx 67-62 in a hard-fought Game 5.
The franchise that won the first game in WNBA history finally has won the last game of the season.
Nearly 30 years since playing for league’s inaugural championship and after several near misses, the New York Liberty are WNBA champions following a 67-62 overtime victory Sunday over the Minnesota Lynx.
Breanna Stewart sealed the win with two free throws with 10.1 seconds left in the extra period. After Leonie Fiebich stole a pass, the Liberty dribbled out the clock on a victory that was as hard-fought and dramatic as any in a Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.
Liberty forward Jonquel Jones was named Finals MVP shortly after a game in which she led New York with 17 points.
The Liberty prevailed 3-2 in a series marked by huge shots and big momentum shifts in the first three games. Little separated the teams in Game 4, which the Lynx won on two free throws with 2 seconds left.
In Game 5 before a packed house at Barclays Center, the Liberty battled back from a seven-point halftime deficit and took a 47-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter. So many years of waiting would come down to 10 minutes.
Or so it appeared.
Instead, these teams, who played each other nine times during the season, including the Commissioner’s Cup final in June, worked into overtime.
With 6.3 seconds left in regulation, the Liberty had the ball, trailing 60-58. Stewart was fouled by Alanna Smith, a call the Lynx challenged. After the challenge was ruled unsuccessful, Stewart hit both free throws to tie the game at 60-60. Kayla McBride missed a 3-pointer for Minnesota and the game went to overtime.
The OT period was a defensive struggle, with both teams combining for just seven points before Stewart’s two game-clinching free throws.
The title is extra special to Stewart, the team’s lone native New Yorker who recalls attending Liberty games as a kid. A former two-time champion with the Seattle Storm, she joined the Liberty before the 2023 season as the biggest free-agent signing in WNBA history.
