Lynx outlast Liberty to force deciding Game 5 of WNBA Finals - ESPN

MINNEAPOLIS — With their season on the line, the Minnesota Lynx did just enough to stave off elimination and force a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.

Bridget Carleton made two free throws with 2 seconds left, and the Lynx beat the New York Liberty 82-80 on Friday night. The teams will meet Sunday night in New York in the first Game 5 of the Finals since 2019, when Washington topped Connecticut.

It will be the eighth Game 5 in Finals history.

«Last 40 minutes of the season could be anywhere, we're going to be out there going to war and I'm pumped,» said Kayla McBride, who led the Lynx with 19 points.

Courtney Williams added 15 points for Minnesota, which forced Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu into poor shooting nights. Ionescu's heave at the buzzer didn't hit the rim.

«I think we're excited,» Napheesa Collier said. «It's a Game 5 of the Finals. We have to go out and execute.»

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve is no stranger to winner-take-all games. She coached Minnesota in three straight from 2015-17, winning two.

«I don't think about the other ones,» Reeve said. «I feel very blessed in my career to have a chance to been a part of so many. I haven't won them all.… What I'm thrilled about is that this group gets to experience the Game 5.»

Unlike the first three games of the series, when one of the teams built a double-digit lead, this one was tight throughout. There were 27 ties and lead changes (14 lead changes, 13 ties), the fourth most in a WNBA Finals game. Neither team led by more than six.

«It's a close-out game. Their backs are against the wall and we are trying to win,» said Jonquel Jones, who led New York with 21 points. «It was going to be that type of game tonight where we are both trying to claw and