The 2024 WNBA Finals finished as it started — marked by late-game hysteria and a referee’s whistle.
The Liberty and Lynx’s Game 5 clash proved a far more combative affair, with both sides spurning the artful elegance that defined parts of their opening four contests with a rugged physicality befitting of the finale of a basketball epic.
New York did just enough to outgun its Gopher State adversaries, frolicking in confetti after a 67-62 overtime victory. Such a result didn’t always seem likely, particularly after Breanna Stewart’s attempted mid-range jumper fell short of the target with five seconds left in regulation and the Liberty down two.
Stewart attempted to displace Lynx center Alanna Smith and get a clean look. Her efforts appeared to have missed the mark — at least until a sound burst out of a referee’s whistle, signaling that Stewart was unjustly impeded and granting her two free throws to tie the game up.
Here’s what you need to know:
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Liberty-Lynx ending, explained
The Liberty — down 60-58 with the clock dwindling — looked in dire straits after Stewart’s effort clanked off the front iron. Smith’s foul call offered her a reprieve. Stewart made sure to take…
