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Sabrina Ionescu shoots game-winner, praises Breanna Stewart for 'willing us back into the game'
To add the cherry on top of a classic WNBA Finals game on Wednesday night, New York Liberty superstar Sabrina Ionescu drilled a long three-pointer to walk off with a win. Ionescu's shot from 28-feet deep broke a 77-77 tie with the Minnesota Lynx and secured an 80-77 victory in the final seconds.
A shot that will live in history.
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 17, 2024
Another look at Sabrina Ionescu’s GAME WINNER pic.twitter.com/b7xxf7AvkY
Thanks to Ionescu's clutch shot, the Liberty completed a comeback — they had to erase a 15-point deficit — and now hold a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five championship series. Ionescu's game-winner also stole the headlines away from Breanna Stewart, who led the Liberty with 30 points compared to Ionescu's 13.
Stewart scored 22 of the team's 45 points in the second half, but Ionescu is all anyone is talking about in the aftermath of the game.
Ionescu even recognizes her teammate's heroics all throughout the game made her big moment under the bright lights possible.
"We don’t win this game without Stewie," Ionescu said after the game, per the Associated Press. "There’s nothing I can say. That shot’s nice, but what (Stewart) was able to do for us tonight willed us back into the game."
Back to Ionescu's shot....
Ionescu explained her mindset to the media, including the AP, going into the last possession knowing the play was designed to get her the ball.
"In the timeout Sandy (Brondello) was like, ‘You’re going to shoot the shot.’ I feel like I was able to get a little separation in range. Get a really good shot to go. I let the shot clock wind down and got the space."
But for her shot to truly live forever in WNBA history, the Liberty have to finish the job and win the franchise's first title.
2024 marks the Liberty's fifth appearance in the WNBA Finals, losing in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002 and last season as the Las Vegas Aces won back-to-back championships.
Ionescu's shot provides a team of destiny feel for last year's runner-up. It's now up to Ionescu, Stewart and the rest of the Liberty to finally place one of the league's longest running and staple franchises at the top of the women's basketball mountain.
Game 4 of the WNBA Finals will take place on Friday from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A win for the Liberty and the championship is theirs, but a Lynx victory ties the highly contested series back up again.
More must-reads:
- Watch: Sabrina Ionescu's deep, last-second three-pointer helps Liberty take Game 3
- Watch: Lynx jump out to early first-quarter lead in Game 3 of WNBA Finals
- The 'WNBA All-Star game MVP' quiz
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