Lynx rally for wild OT win over Liberty in Finals opener

Napheesa Collier connected on a turnaround, mid-range fadeaway with 8.8 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Minnesota Lynx to a 95-93 win over the host New York Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday.

New York’s Breanna Stewart, charging through a crowd of Lynx defenders, missed a layup at the buzzer that would have sent the game into a second overtime.

“It’s hard. She’s one of the best players in the world,” Collier said of defending Stewart, her former UConn teammate. “You can’t think about it. This is the Finals. We just had to find a way to push through.”

Collier, the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, had 21 points, eight rebounds and six blocks as the Lynx took a 1-0 lead in a best-of-five series.

Minnesota’s Courtney Williams had 23 points and five assists and connected on a handful of timely shots late, while Kayla McBride added 22 points.

Jonquel Jones led the Liberty with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Sabrina Ionescu had 19 points, Stewart scored 18 and Leonie Fiebich tallied 17.

The end of regulation was one of the wildest sequences in the history of the WNBA Finals — and that was after the Lynx trailed by 18 points in the first half and by 15 with 5:20 left in regulation.

Williams, double-covered and falling over, nailed an improbable 3-pointer while being fouled by Ionescu with 5.5 seconds to play and then knocked down the ensuing free throw to give the Lynx their first lead of the night. The comeback for the Lynx was tied for the largest in WNBA Finals history.

“She was amazing. Just the aggression from her, the playmaking,” Collier said of Williams. “That’s my point guard right there.”

On the Liberty’s next possession — after a ball was knocked out of bounds and a jump ball was called — Collier blocked Stewart’s first shot attempt before New York got one more chance with one second left.

The ball again went to Stewart, who attempted a close shot in traffic that did not find the rim. As the buzzer was sounding, a referee whistled for a shooting foul on Collier, sending Stewart to the line.

Stewart connected on the first of two free throws to tie the game but missed the second. With 0.5 seconds left, Williams’ final shot attempt of regulation didn’t come close.

The Liberty led for most of the game after opening the game with a 19-8 run that saw Jones score eight points but also featured a key sequence in which New York knocked down three straight 3-pointers — two from Fiebich and one from Stewart.

However, Minnesota closed the fourth quarter with an 18-3 run to ultimately send the game to overtime.

Williams scored eight points during that stretch, including the crucial four-point-play.