Sabrina Ionescu saved the Liberty’s season with arguably the biggest shot in the franchise’s history. On Oct. 16, the New York Liberty trailed the Minnesota Lynx for all of but two minutes — and then Ionescu happened. Dribbling the ball near half court with the game tied at 87, Ionescu let the clock tick down, took one step in and launched an almost logo three-pointer. In other words, nothing but net. Ionescu showed the clutch gene that her mentor, Kobe Bryant, was so known for — and it came at the best time possible, moving the Liberty one step closer to their first championship.
Ionescu hit the game-winning shot of the night, but the Liberty were really carried by superstar Breanna Stewart. Stewart took over the second half, scoring 14 points in the third quarter and bringing New York within one point. Stewart finished with a game high of 30 points and 11 rebounds. This was her third 30-point WNBA Finals game, which matched Angel McCoughtry for the most in league history.
“We don’t win this game without Stewie,” Ionescu said.
They sure don’t. Ionescu struggled for most of the game, putting up one of her worst postseason performances before the game winner. She shot 5-12 for 13 points, to go along with six assists and five rebounds. She shot 3-of-8 from behind the arc, clearly not having it on the offensive end. Her teammates Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fiebich both added 13 points, too. It wasn’t the best night for Ionescu but one shining moment changed the entire narrative — and all the pressure is back on the Lynx.
The Lynx will have to find a way to get over this heartbreaking loss by Game 4. The 15-point comeback in Game 3 was the third-largest comeback in WNBA Finals history. This series has been filled with big swings, as the Lynx were on the winning side of a historic 18-point comeback in Game 1. The 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Napheesa Collier, made some history of her own as well. She finished with 22 points and brought her postseason point total to 249, passing Diana Taurasi for the most in a single postseason in WNBA history, which Taurasi set in 2009.
Game 4 will be on Oct. 18.
