The first four games of the 2024 WNBA Finals were nothing short of spectacular, with . Fittingly, Game 5 in New York continued the trend of closely fought battles, as the winner-take-all battle needed overtime to decide a new champion, with the Liberty coming back one last time for a 67-62 win in OT. As so often happens in the final game of a series, Game 5 was a rock fight.
Minnesota pulled ahead early, as Kayla McBride got hot from three, and took a 19-10 lead in the first quarter as New York’s stars were ice cold to start the game. The Liberty would settle in for the middle quarters, led by Jonquel Jones and Nyara Sabally, taking the lead for the first time in the third quarter as they locked down themselves with a 20-10 quarter to take a three-point lead to the fourth. In that fourth quarter, the tension ratcheted up even further and the headlining stars from both teams made their presence known.
Sabrina Ionescu started the game 0-for-15, but made her first shot when the Liberty absolutely had to have it, burying a deep three to give New York the lead — then found Breanna Stewart, who struggled shooting herself, for a layup to go up 4. First the dime..
. then the TRIPLE 🔥 SABRINA IONESCU HAS COME ALIVE IN THE 4Q! — WNBA (@WNBA) On the other side, Napheesa Collier had the answer with back-to-back buckets at the rim to tie the game and give Minnesota a two-point lead. NAPHEESA COLLIER PUTS THE LYNX BACK ON TOP WITH 1:04 ON THE CLOCK 🚨 ESPN 📺 | presented by —.