History was made as the New York Liberty clasped their first WNBA championship ever, outplaying the Minnesota Lynx 87-75 in a thrilling final game. Led by a balanced offense and tenacious defense, the Liberty accepted the 2024 WNBA title within the confines of an adoring home crowd awaiting them at Barclays Center.
Liberty was driven from the start as both teams’ offenses, coupled on the other end with MVP candidate Breanna Stewart took control of the game from the onset. Stewart’s presence in the paint and stretching all around the floor with the ability to shoot gave the Liberty a jump out early. Slava Ionescu chipped in with two big threes for the Liberty to jump out quickly.
The basketball team is typically known more for its scrappy defense and championships won, but Minnesota was unable to get into any sort of flow on offense this afternoon. Even good contributions from Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride, however, were only able to take things so far as New York’s high-paced offense proved too much to absorb. New York would end the first quarter up 22-16.
The Liberty continued the Storm on their own three-game assault into the second quarter, permitting them to build from their advantage. The entire reason for Jonquel Jones is to dominate the boards and deliver crucial second-chance points. In addition to the sharp perimeter shooting of the Liberty, her aggressive play inside made New York bigger, making matters worse for the Storm by the halftime break. Stewart and Ionescu combined for 24 points, and the Liberty led 48-36 over Seattle.
The Minnesota Lynx came roaring back in the third quarter. Collier was scoring reliably from mid-range, while McBride nailed important threes. The Lynx defense also buckled down to make Liberty turn the ball over a sequence of times. By mid-third, Minnesota had cut the deficit to just six points; everything on the floor changed.
But Liberty responded well, led by Courtney Vandersloot, the veteran point guard of the team, who was taking care of offense with big plays and open shooters. Vandersloot’s leadership and timely baskets from Betnijah Laney again helped New York build momentum in the game, allowing them to leave the third quarter with a 69-61 advantage.
There was no question in the fourth quarter what was on the Liberty’s minds, and they took this championship seriously as Stewart got her 10 points in the final period, including clutch free throws and making it desperately hard for Atlanta in the paint. Defense gave away nearly free points with Jones and Ionescu scattering crucial hits down the stretch to keep the double-digit lead for New York.
The Lynx fought hard all the way to the final buzzer, with Collier finishing with 22 and McBride with 18, but it was just not enough to overcome Liberty’s balanced attack and suffocating defense. At this point, Liberty sealed the win by being the first WNBA champions in an 87-75 victory as the game wound down.
The Liberty’s win was the culmination of a season with much hype after the team assembled that impressive roster. Breanna Stewart, who was tabbed as the Finals MVP, paced the unit with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Dominant play on both sides of the floor played to the benefit of the Liberty as Ionescu scored 17 points and handed out 7 assists, while Jonquel Jones had 14 points and 12 rebounds in that double-double effort.
Napheesa Collier was spectacular for Minnesota, and for much of the game, she kept the team inside striking distance. However, it was outgunned by Liberty firepower, and in the end, just wasn’t enough. Tough loss aside, Minnesota has really come a long way this season as evident by their ability to compete at all levels.
This would mark one historic moment for the franchise and their fans in terms of finally topping the WNBA. It not only affirms the Liberty’s status as one of the league’s top elite teams but also shows them building on this success moving forward.
