WNBA fans finally got a 2024 Finals rematch between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx, but the defending champions were unable to repeat history on Wednesday night without Breanna Stewart, falling 100-93.
Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier dominated, dropping 30 points with nine rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and one steal. Her 11 straight points toward the end of the first half ultimately provided the difference, as the Liberty never could recover.
The game started close, as was expected after the five-game series in October. New York was the first to break away, and a defensive miscommunication between Minnesota’s Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride allowed Marine Johannès to knock down a wide-open three to lead 19-11 halfway through the first quarter.
Williams made up for her errors with back-to-back defensive stops by blocking Stephanie Talbot’s shot and stealing the ball on the following possession. Williams found McBride after her pick, who made a triple to tie the score at 22 with 50 seconds left in the frame. Both teams made one more bucket to start the second quarter, locked at 24.
McBride continued her hot streak and scored the Lynx’s first five points, but New York’s Isabelle Harrison sank back-to-back shots to stay right with the top team in the WNBA. Each side was pushing their way through the other’s defense, and it was Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud on offense for the Liberty, recording 10 points each in the first half.
Alanna Smith was working on both ends of the floor for Minnesota. She finished the first half with 12 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the floor, four rebounds, and two blocks, and she continued to frustrate the Finals MVP in Jonquel Jones on defense.
The Lynx had a 40-38 lead with 3:31 left before halftime before Collier took over. Her personal 11-point run to end the quarter gave them a 51-42 advantage, and she was the only one on her team to make a shot in the span. In the opening half, she had 19 points, four rebounds, two blocks, and an assist, showing why she’s one of the top names in the MVP debates.
Williams got her first points of the night after missing her first 10 shots to balloon the lead to 57-47 with 5:57 left in the third quarter. Minnesota got a surge of energy from this, especially on the defensive end, and Smith and Collier each blocked another shot.
The Liberty looked to turn the tide as Ionescu poked the ball away and Talbot jumped on the floor to gain possession. Ionescu missed a layup, but Harrison grabbed the rebound and put it back up to cut the score to 63-53 with just under three minutes remaining in the third.
New York ended the third quarter with the momentum. Ionescu blocked Diamond Miller’s shot and passed the ball all the way down the court to Leonie Fiebich, who made the layup to put the score at 68-62.
Ionescu led the way for her squad, recording 31 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
The Liberty tried to take over in the final 10 minutes, but Natisha Hiedeman made that difficult as she scored the Lynx’s first eight points. Bridget Carleton made two triples, and Collier added a jumper to lead 84-69 with 5:37 left to play.
New York intensified its effort, and an 11-0 run cut it to a four-point game at 92-88. They looked to ride the momentum all the way, but Collier let their dreams crumble with an and-one play with just 50 seconds remaining. The Liberty did all they could to get more offensive opportunities and fouled the Lynx three more times in the final seconds, but couldn’t come on top.
