The WNBA Finals between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty is going the distance. The Lynx managed to claim a narrow 82-80 win on Friday night to even the series at 2-2 thanks to a pair of clutch free throws by Bridget Carleton.
The Game 4 was the most tightly contested matchup in the series. It featured 14 lead changes, and the score was tied 13 times. The game was up for grabs until the last seconds, and it was the Lynx who decided to grab it.
The result was tied at 80-80 with 18 seconds left on the clock when the Lynx decided to use a full-time out. In the following possession, Courtney Williams missed a pull-up jumper, but Carleton managed to get an offensive rebound and was on the receiving end of a shooting foul by Sabrina Ionescu with two seconds remaining.
Carleton calmly sank both free throws and forced Liberty to draw up quick action that ended up with Ionescu’s three-point attempt. Ionescu managed to give the Liberty a win with a buzzer-beater in Game 3, but this time, the All-Star point guard missed the mark.
The Lynx was led by Kayla McBride, who had 19 points and four assists in a team-high 35 minutes on the floor. Napheesa Collier had 14 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, while Courtney Williams added 15 points and seven assists.
Jonquel Jones scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Liberty, while Leonie Fiebich followed with 19 points. Ionescu finished with 10 points and missed all five of her attempts for three.
The Lynx and Liberty will face in winner-takes-all Game 5 on Sunday. The Lynx are aiming for their WNBA record fifth title, while Liberty is looking to win the championship for the first time in franchise history.
