Liberty can't hold 15-point fourth-quarter lead, drop Game 1 of WNBA Finals to Lynx in overtime

This is what the Liberty wanted, another shot at the title after getting knocked out in the WNBA Finals a year ago.

“We’re better than we were last year,” Breanna Stewart said after Wednesday’s practice. “We’ve learned from it, and we’ve done all the things that we wanted to do this season.”

Except for this one last thing — win a ring.

Besides the experience of going through last year’s run, the top-seeded Liberty had another thing going for them against second-seeded Minnesota that they didn’t have last year against Las Vegas — home-court advantage in the best-of-five showdown.

But the Liberty didn’t take advantage in Game 1 Thursday night at a rocking Barclays Center. They took a terrible loss, blowing a 15-point lead with 5:20 left and falling in overtime 95-93 on Napheesa Collier’s jumper with 8.8 seconds remaining.

“We’re very locked in,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello had said before the game. “I think the experience from last year that we had, first year together, and what we’ve been able to build [in] year two, I think we’re pretty poised . . . I do believe we’re peaking at the right time. Now you still have to go out and do it.”

And they didn’t in this opener.

Jonquel Jones led them with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Stewart had 18 points but shot 6-for-21 and missed a free throw for the win in regulation. Sabrina Ionescu shot 8-for-26 and had 19 points. Rookie Leonie Fiebich finished with 17.

Courtney Williams scored 23 points for the Lynx, followed by Kayla McBride with 22 and Collier with 21.

“I think [we’re] really driven,” Collier said. “We understand how special and unique of an opportunity that we have and how rare it is.”

It was 84-84 heading for the extra session. But the Liberty began by struggling at the offensive end. Collier and Alana Smith scored from in close, and the Lynx were up four.

Jones countered with a three. But Williams answered with one of her own.

Ionescu made a floater. But Williams hit from four feet away — 93-89 Lynx, 48.5 to go.

The Liberty hung in. Ionescu’s basket got it down to two. And Jones made a layup off a steal to tie it at 93 with 28.5 seconds remaining. Stewart blocked a drive by Williams, but Minnesota retained possession.

And Collier hit a jumper from near the foul line for the lead. After a Liberty timeout, Stewart was fouled by Collier with 2.6 seconds left. Ionescu then inbounded to Stewart, who drove and missed as time expired.

The Liberty were clinging to a four-point lead early in the fourth. Then Fiebich grabbed an offensive rebound and went off glass for two with 7:59 left. Stewart followed with a three from the right side, and the lead was up to 73-64. Following a Minnesota timeout, Fiebich drained her fifth three, good for a 12-point lead.

When Betnijah Laney-Hamilton hit a three, it was 81-66 with 5:20 to go. The Lynx responded with an 18-2 run for the lead.

Williams drove, and it was down to 83-80 with 42.5 seconds left.

Following a Liberty timeout, they turned it over on a shot-clock violation with 18.5 seconds left.

After a Lynx timeout, Williams missed a three, but Smith grabbed the rebound. Williams took another three, made it and was fouled by Ionescu — four-point play, 84-83 Minnesota, 5.5 seconds left

Brondello called a timeout. Minnesota had a foul to give and did. The Liberty tried to inbound and the ball was knocked out of bounds, resulting in a jump ball. But the Lynx got called for a jump ball violation. The Liberty’s inbounds pass wound up out of bounds — Liberty ball with one second left.

Ionescu inbounded from the baseline to Stewart underneath. She went up and was fouled by Collier at 0.8. Stewart made the first to tie it but the second rimmed out.

On to OT.

And to think the Liberty led by 16 in the first quarter at 30-14 and by 18 in the second quarter at 39-21.

“I don’t care about me,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said beforehand about possibly winning the title. “I’m really, really excited for this group to prove all the prognosticators wrong once again.”

Changes coming

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced before the game that the regular season will expand from 40 to 44 games next year and that the Finals will expand from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven.