By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The New York Liberty escaped an early first-half disaster and bounced back in overtime, 67-62, to win their first-ever Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) championship title on October 21, 2024.
New York, who had to dig deep after facing a 12-point deficit in the first half, put on the clamps in the final two quarters to contain the waxing-hot Minnesota Lynx squad.
Minnesota converted most of their field goal attempts in the first half and capitalized on the shooting struggles of New York’s superstars, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu.
The 1-2 punch only combined for a 5/34 shooting from the field and had their worst offensive performance throughout the five-game WNBA finals series.
Fortunately for New York, veteran center Jonquel Jones kept their spirits up in the second half after taking matters into her own hands, schooling every Minnesota defender thrown at her at the post.
Jones’ offensive brilliance helped New York claw its way back from a forgettable first-half performance and officially put themselves back into the ball game midway through the fourth when they managed to equalize the affair.
However, Minnesota’s young star, Napheesa Collier, hosted a momentum-stealing 5-0 run, forcing New York to call another timeout in the championship minute stretch.
The mano-a-mano continued, but the Lynx were only seconds away from staging an upset before Stewart’s aggressiveness was paid off when she fished for a foul off a strong drive to the basket.
With only five seconds left in the game and the Liberty down by a deuce, the veteran power forward shook off the jitters and completed a perfect trip from the charity stripe that sent the game into overtime.
Just like what they say, champions are made of in situations where pressure and emotions can’t get the best of you.
For New York, the playoff experiences meant everything.
In the final five minutes of the extension period, the Liberty pulled off a masterclass, limiting the Lynx to just two points in overtime that sealed the deal for them.
With the combination of their tremendous defensive communication and clutch buckets, New York finally put their banner on the pedestal and was crowned as the 2024 WNBA queens.
Jones spearheaded New York’s Game 5 comeback win with 17 points, six rebounds, and an assist, en route to winning the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
The trio of Stewart, Leonie Fiebich, and Nyara Sabally all scored 13 points each for New York, while Ionescu added five markers, eight assists, and seven rebounds.
