Liberty inches closer to title with Stewart’s 30-piece, Ionescu’s logo 3, and a 15-point rally

That felt familiar. Nearly a week ago, the Minnesota Lynx erased an 18-point deficit to win Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on the road.

On Wednesday, the New York Liberty rallied from 15 down in Minneapolis to win Game 3.

And now, New York is one victory away from its first WNBA championship.

Breanna Stewart nearly willed the Liberty to win, tallying 30 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. She scored 13 straight Liberty points across the third and fourth quarters.

But Sabrina Ionescu hit the game winner, a 28-foot 3-pointer with 1 second remaining. It’s the second-longest go-ahead field goal in the final 5 seconds in WNBA Finals history, behind Teresa Weatherspoon’s 47-foot heave for New York in Game 2 of the 1999 Finals.

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Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier scored 22 points in the loss and has 249 in the 2024 playoffs, breaking Diana Taurasi’s 15-year-old record for most points in a single postseason (245).

The WNBA Finals — the first series in WNBA playoff history to feature multiple 15-point comeback wins — continues with Game 4 on Friday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Before then, ESPN breaks down how the Liberty won Game 3.

What changed for Ionescu?

Throughout most of the game Wednesday, it was tough to tell if Ionescu was biding her time or being taken out of the game by Kayla McBride’s defense. Ionescu didn’t attempt a field goal until 5:17 remained in the second quarter. Her first made field goal came on the last possession of the first half.

Then — perhaps propelled by the learning experiences of last year’s Finals loss, her poor shooting in Game 1 and her minimal contribution in Game 2 — she became the best player on the floor for what might be the biggest minute and a half in Liberty history.

First came a brilliant pass to Jonquel Jones, who hit a layup with 1:31 left to give New York its first lead, 74-73, since 5-4. Then came Ionescu’s 24-foot 3-pointer with 55 seconds left, which was outdone only by the 28-foot game winner — a shot that will never be forgotten in Liberty lore if they win their first title.

Before that final basket, Ionescu was 0-for-5 in the Finals from 3-point range when guarded by McBride, according to ESPN Research.

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Ionescu, Liberty complete epic comeback vs. Lynx in Game 3

Sabrina Ionescu’s clutch 3-point shooting helps propel the Liberty past the Lynx in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals.

How much did Alanna Smith’s back injury impact the game?

The Lynx led 41-28 when Smith, who was averaging 9.6 points per game and shooting 56.1% in the playoffs, went down hard in the lane after fouling Jones with 2:52 left in the first half. Although the Lynx forward was able to start both the third and fourth quarters, Smith played only a total of 6:37 after halftime.

Minnesota turned to Myisha Hines-Allen, who has averaged 4.0 points per game in the postseason. New York adjusted and left Hines-Allen open on the perimeter. That allowed Stewart to roam defensively, and the strategy worked. Minnesota made only two field goals in the final 6:39, giving New York just enough room to complete the third-largest comeback in Finals history.

What was different in the fourth quarter?

Stewart became a dominant force once again, and New York rode its superstar to the comeback. She ignited the Liberty’s rally with a brilliant third quarter, and the break between periods didn’t stop Stewart’s momentum. After missing a tip-in early in the quarter, Stewart made three straight field goals, single-handedly answering everything Minnesota did as a team.

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By the time she was done, Stewart had scored 13 straight Liberty points from the end of the third until the 6:18 mark of the fourth to tie the score at 69. That’s the most consecutive team points scored by a single player in WNBA Finals history, per ESPN Research. Her 30-point, 11-rebound night was her second career 30-10 Finals game. Jones, as a member of the Connecticut Sun in 2019, is the only other player to do it.

Stewart’s defense, whether it was guarding Collier — who shot 9-for-22 in the game and was 0-for-3 with just two free throws in the final 8:46 — or roaming the lane when Hines-Allen was in the game, was at an MVP level, too. She had 4 blocks one game after her Finals-record 7 steals in Game 2.

Did Minnesota get tight or tired down the stretch?

In many ways, Wednesday was a flip of Game 1. This time Minnesota got out to the big early lead at home and New York made the comeback late. While Stewart and then Ionescu seemed to get energized in the second half, the Lynx might have started to feel the effects of going five games against Connecticut in the semifinals and having a shorter bench with Smith’s injury.

McBride, who has done such a good job guarding Ionescu in the series, lost her twice in the final minute for that pair of 3-pointers. Collier had a tough fourth quarter offensively, and the Lynx shot 5-for-18 in the final 10 minutes. The largest Lynx crowd ever of 19,521 wasn’t enough to lift Minnesota to the kind of play late that won Game 1.