Liberty fall to Lynx in Game 4 of WNBA Finals, setting up deciding Game 5 on Sunday at Barclays Center
Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts after missing a shot at the buzzer, as Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) celebrates during the second half of Game 4 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Minneapolis. Credit: AP/Abbie Parr
MINNEAPOLIS
One more chance.
That’s all the Liberty have. One more chance to exorcise the ghosts of five past failures. One more chance to take what they believe is theirs. One more chance to become the first New York basketball team in 48 years to win a championship.
The WNBA Finals are headed back to Brooklyn for a winner-take-all Game 5 as the Liberty suffered a heartbreaking 82-80 loss to Minnesota on Friday night in Game 4 at Target Center.
The game came down to the final possession with 18 seconds left and the score tied. After Courtney Williams’ potential winner clanked away, Bridget Carleton went up for the rebound. Sabrina Ionescu, who was the hero of the Liberty’s Game 3 win when she drilled a 28-foot three-pointer with one second on the clock, was called for a foul with two seconds left.
Carleton hit both free throws, and on the Liberty’s final possession, Ionescu launched a 35-footer that bounced off the backboard.
Now the Liberty are headed home to play one of the biggest games ever to take place at Barclays Center.
“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy,” said Ionescu, who finished with 10 points and shot 5-for-16. “We’re not done yet. This is part of our story. We’re excited to go home and potentially win a championship in front of our home crowd.”
Potentially win. Liberty fans have heard that before, and it hasn’t worked out. This is the Liberty’s sixth appearance in the WNBA Finals and they were beaten in all of their previous five. That included losing to the Las Vegas Aces in four games last season, a game that took place on this exact date one year ago.
That’s why it was so painful to blow a chance to close out the series and win the franchise’s first WNBA title.
The Liberty clearly were unhappy about blowing an opportunity to close out the series, and it was clear they were not happy with the officiating. Ionescu called the whistle on her with 2.0 seconds left “an interesting foul call.” The usually unflappable Sandy Brondello went on an unsolicited mini-tirade against the referees in her postgame news conference.
“We got no calls today. So do I need to talk up in a press conference?” Brondello said. “Because they were getting ticky-tacks and we went down to the end and got hit and get nothing. It was like 12 to 6 at halftime and they try to even it up near the end. It was 14 to nine. No, all we want is fair. So if we’re getting hit, that’s a foul.
“I’m one of the nicest bloody coaches in this league, but this [ticks] me off. Just be fair. If they’re getting hit, it’s a bloody foul. But in the end, close game.”
It was an incredibly close game that could have gone either way, given that there were 14 lead changes. The Liberty never led by more than six and the Lynx’s biggest lead was five.
Ionescu wasn’t the only Liberty player who struggled. Breanna Stewart, who got into foul trouble early, was held to 11 points and 5-for-20 shooting. It was Jonquel Jones, usually the quietest of the Big 3, who kept the Liberty in the game offensively as she scored 21 points, shot 7-for-10 and grabbed eight rebounds.
Napheesa Collier contributed 14 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota as all five Lynx starters scored in double figures. Courtney Williams had 15 points and seven assists and Carleton and Alanna Smith tallied 12 points apiece.
A win on Sunday would make the Liberty the first New York team to win a title since Julius Erving led the Nets to the ABA championship 48 years ago.
The Liberty were one of the original eight franchises when the WNBA began in 1997 and are the only one left of that group not to have won it all.
Minnesota stands one victory away from a record fifth WNBA title, which would break a tie with the Houston Comets and Seattle Storm.
“We wanted to get it done tonight, but like Sandy said, our fans are like no other,’’ Stewart said. “To go into our environment on Sunday and know they have our backs, when there are tough situations fighting adversity, we have the crowd behind us. Can’t wait for Sunday.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.