MINNEAPOLIS – Bridget Carleton made two free throws with 2 seconds left, and the Minnesota Lynx forced a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, beating the New York Liberty 82-80 on Friday night.
The teams meet Sunday night in New York in the first Game 5 of the Finals since 2019, when Washington topped Connecticut.
Kayla McBride scored 19 points and Courtney Williams added 15 for Minnesota, forcing Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu into poor shooting nights. Ionescu’s thump at the buzzer didn’t hit the rim.
Napheesa Collierwho was named to the 2024 All-WNBA First Team, scored 14 points and had nine rebounds.
Unlike the first three games of the series, when one team built a double-digit lead, this one was tight throughout. There were 14 lead changes and 13 ties, and neither team led by more than six.
With the score tied at 80 with 18 seconds left, Williams dribbled to run down the clock and missed a jumper with a few seconds left. Carleton got the rebound in the lane and was fouled by Ionescu.
“I feel like Bridget is so reliable every time,” Collier said.
She calmly made both free throws, and Ionescu was unable to duplicate her heroics in Game 3, as she made a 28-footer with 1 second left to give the Liberty the 2-1 series lead.
Jonquel Jones had 21 points and Leonie Fiebich scored 19 for New York. Stewart had 11 points on 5-of-20 shooting, and Ionescu was 5-of-16 from the floor and scored 10.
The Lynx are looking for their fifth WNBA championship, while the Liberty are looking for their first ever WNBA championship.
