Liberty 80, Lynx 77: Ionescu’s Dagger Three Lifts New York to Comeback Win and 2-1 Series Lead

With the WNBA Finals tied up at 1-1 and the series shifting back to Minnesota, Sabrina Ionescu’s three in the final seconds led New York to a comeback win in Game 3 while taking a commanding 2-1 series lead.

After a back-and-forth first two games of the WNBA Finals which saw each team win a game in Brooklyn, the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty shifted the series back to Minneapolis for two games with a chance to inch closer to a league title.

The best-of-five championship series returned to Target Center on Wednesday night for Game 3, with the Finals knotted up at 1-1. And like we saw throughout the series thus far, it was another back-and-forth contest that came down the wire.

In the end, New York pulled off a thrilling 80-77 comeback victory in the final seconds in front of a sold out and rowdy crowd of 19,521 at Target Center, taking a commanding 2-1 lead in the Finals.

Getting Off To A Quick Start

After New York got off to a hot start in each of the first two games of the series, Minnesota flipped the script in Game 3 behind a strong start in front of their home crowd.

The Lynx turned defense into offense, a key for them all season long, and were clicking in front of their home crowd to lead by as much as 15 points in the opening quarter and holding nearly a double-digit lead going into halftime.

A difference in Game 3 that wasn’t there in Games 1 or 2 was the early success of Kayla McBride and Bridget Carleton, notably from deep. Those two paced Minnesota offensively in the opening half, with McBride posting 13 of her 19 points in the first half while Carleton added 10 of her 14 points in the first two quarters.

Minnesota had all the momentum and looked to be on its way to putting the game out of reach early on in the contest. Then came New York in the second half.

Another Blown Lead and Great Finish

In the first two games of the Finals at Barclays Center, the home team — that being New York — blew a 15-plus-point lead on their home floor. In Game 3, that trend continued with Minnesota’s 15-point lead achieved in the first half evaporating entering the fourth quarter.

Out of halftime, the Liberty outscored the Lynx 26-19 to bring the Lynx lead down to just one going into the fourth and final quarter. In the fourth frame, New York evened the game up a few times thanks to the dominant play of Breanna Stewart on both ends of the court to match the brilliance from Napheesa Collier on the side of Minnesota.

In the fourth quarter, as you might have guessed, things came down the wire with both teams going shot-for-shot in the final minutes. In the final minutes, New York claimed its first lead of the night with 1.5 minutes remaining, stretching that to four points with just under a minute to play.

But as expected, the Lynx didn’t quit. With 16 seconds remaining, Collier sunk two free throws to tie the game up at 77 a piece, though it gave New York a chance to win it at the buzzer.

Right on cue, Sabrina Ionescu stepped up for the Liberty late, hitting a cold-blooded three with one second remaining and leading New York to a comeback win.

Taking a Commanding Lead

With the win, New York not only takes the pivotal Game 3 battle to break a series tie, but it also claims a commanding 2-1 series lead and is just one win away from hoisting the championship trophy.

In the history of the WNBA Finals, a team that broke a 1-1 series tie by winning Game 3 is 10-4 in series outcomes. Since shifting to a best-of-five format for the Finals, the winner of Game 3 has won the series six out of 10 times.

Not only was Game 3 an incredibly important game for both teams, but now the Liberty have the Lynx on the ropes in an elimination game on Friday in Game 4.

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Box Score

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Up Next

With Game 1 now in the books, the second game of the best-of-five series takes place Sunday when these two teams face off once again at Barclays Center in Brooklyn in Game 2.

Game 2 between Minnesota and New York will tip off at 2PM CT and can be seen on ABC.

Here’s the full schedule and broadcast information for the Finals:

• Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 10 — Minnesota 95, New York 93 (OT)
• Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 13 — New York 80, Minnesota 66
• Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 16 — New York 80, Minnesota 77
• Game 4: Friday, Oct. 18 — 7PM CT at Target Center (ESPN)
• Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 20 — 7PM CT at Barclays Center (ESPN)*
• *If necessary