NEW YORK — The New York Liberty had Game 1 in the palm of their hands.
Up 15 points with 5:20 to play on their home court, facing a Minnesota Lynx team that had just gone to five games against the Connecticut Sun and didn’t even have a chance to practice before the WNBA Finals, the Liberty simply had to put the finishing touches on a comfortable series-opening victory.
Instead, the Lynx clawed back and stole an absolute heartbreaker from New York. Courtney Williams gave Minnesota its first lead of the game on a four-point play with 5.5 seconds to play, oddly coming on an offensive rebound on a night when the Lynx were otherwise destroyed on the glass.
The Liberty forced overtime, but the momentum had switched. Minnesota took a quick four-point lead in overtime, and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier closed it out with a jumper and stout defense on Breanna Stewart on the other end.
It’s the first WNBA Finals series featuring UConn greats leading their respective teams, and the younger Collier got the better of her former mentor and future Unrivaled business partner Stewart as the Lynx came away with a shocking 95-93 win in overtime.
The game deciding shot by Napheesa Collier is NASTY 😈
THE @minnesotalynx TAKE GAME 1 OF THE #WNBAFinals presented by
