Lynx Bite Liberty's Attempt at Consecutive Commissioner's Cups
ELMONT-A stone's throw away from Belmont Park, the Minnesota Lynx used the stretch to run away from the New York Liberty at the 2024 Commissioner's Cup final.
Bridget Carleton's outside showcase gave the Liberty a taste of its own medicine in a second half onslaught, one that saw Lynx escape from New York with a 94-89 victory in the fourth annual in-season title game at UBS Arena.
Carleton sank six three-pointers en route to a Minnesota-best 23 points, tying the CC final record for success from deep set by Kelsey Plum in 2022. Napheesa Collier had 21 points and six rebounds en route to game MVP honors.
A fourth quarter surge allowed Breanna Stewart to earn the team lead with 24 points (paired with 11 rebounds) while Sabrina Ionescu also had 23 in defeat. Kayla Thornton yet another adventerous day from deep, hitting 5-of-9 with an extra point on the line.
New York was thus denied a defense of its Commissioner's Cup championship previously earned in Las Vegas last year. The Liberty have now dropped two games to the Lynx this season, previously victimized by an 84-67 defeat at Target Center on May 25.
Since then, the Liberty had won all but one of their ensuing dozen and seemed destined to keep the momentum rolling as they invigorated a well-migrated crowd otherwise disappointed to see the game removed from Barclays Center due to preparation for the 2024 NBA Draft.
The Liberty also held the Lynx's stars in check, as Kayla McBride was a mere 3-of-13 on her birthday while Alanna Smith was minus-4 on the scoreboard. To top it all off, the Liberty held a plus-18 advantage on the glass, including a 15-4 tally on the offensive glass (6 alone landing in Stewart's hands).
But 20 turnovers, which yielded 27 Minnesota points spelled the Liberty's doom, as they lost a slim halftime lead in the third quarter and never got it back. Minnesota also literally ran away from New York, outscoring them 20-6 in fast break points. Continued desperation forced the Liberty to try and force the hand of Jonquel Jones, who was held to 0-of-3 from the field despite pulling in a dozen rebounds.
On a brighter note, the Liberty were able to welcome back both Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Courtney Vandersloot to their fold. Laney-Hamilton had missed each of the Liberty's last three games with a knee ailment while Vandersloot partook in her first contest since June 4 while mourning the death of her mother Jan.
New York won't have to wait long for revenge against Minnesota, as the Lynx are set to visit Barclays Center on July 2.
In the meantime, the Liberty resume regular season action on Sunday afternoon when the Atlanta Dream comes to visit Brooklyn (1 p.m. ET, ESPN).
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks