The 28th season of the WNBA has come to a close, with the New York Liberty barely taking down the Minnesota Lynx for the championship title. This was the first-ever championship for the Liberty, one of the last three remaining teams from the formation of the league. The Finals MVP award was given to Jonquel Jones, who averaged 17.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game throughout the series. This was her second season on the Liberty, having played six seasons on the Connecticut Sun earlier in her career.
In the five game series, two games went to overtime, making it the first ever WNBA Finals series to have multiple games go into overtime.
Recap of the Finals:
Game 1: New York took a lead of 18 points halfway through the second quarter, but they were not able to keep it. Minnesota came storming back, capped off by Courtney Williams’ and-one three point shot and Breanna Stewart’s missed second free throw shot. The Lynx were able to pull out a close win on the road, 95-93.
Game 2: The Liberty never gave up their lead, easily handling the Lynx. This was led by Breanna Stewart’s 21 points and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s 20 points. New York closed out an easy win, 80-66.
Game 3: Minnesota seemed to be in full control throughout the first three quarters, even taking a 15 point lead early in the game. Behind Breanna Stewart’s 30 point performance, the Liberty were able to close the game and make it tight. Sabrina Ionescu’s wild 28-foot three point shot with one second left sealed the road win for New York, 80-77.
Game 4: This was the first game with real back-and forth between the two teams. The largest lead of the game was the Liberty up by 6 points midway through the third quarter. Minnesota escaped elimination with two late free throws by Bridget Carleton. The Lynx won to force a game five back in Brooklyn, 82-80.
Game 5: Minnesota took an early lead against a struggling Breanna Stewart (shot 4-15) and Sabrina Ionescu (shot 1-19). The game was saved for the Liberty by Jonquel Jones’ 17 point performance. And after missing a pair just minutes before, Stewart made two free throws with five seconds left to send the game to overtime. New York took a quick 5 point lead in overtime to seal the win, 67-62.
This has been a historic year for the WNBA that many people will not forget. The WNBA Draft lottery will take place on November 17, 2024, and the draft will take place on April 14, 2025. The 2025 season will introduce a new team to the league, the Golden State Valkyries. Continue to keep up with the W.
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