MINNEAPOLIS — Bridget Carleton sank a pair of free throws with 2.0 seconds remaining and the Minnesota Lynx held on for an 82-80 win over the New York Liberty in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Friday night.
Kayla McBride scored 19 points to lead the Lynx, who staved off elimination and evened the best-of-five series at two wins apiece. Napheesa Collier flirted with a double-double, collecting 14 points and nine rebounds.
The series will shift to New York for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Sunday night.
Jonquel Jones scored 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds for New York, which remains one win away from its first-ever championship. Leonie Fiebich scored 19 points, and Breanna Stewart finished with 11 points and 11 boards.
The score was even at 80 after Jones converted a three-point play with 1:10 remaining.
Lynx guard Courtney Williams missed a jump shot in the final seconds, but Carleton grabbed an offensive rebound and drew a foul. She then put the Lynx on top by two from the free-throw line.
Sabrina Ionescu had a chance at a game-winning shot moments later, but she missed from 35 feet out to send the series to a decisive fifth game.
Minnesota held on to a 64-63 lead at the end of the third quarter.
New York went on an 11-0 run to transform a 55-50 deficit into a 61-55 edge with 4:07 remaining in the third quarter. Stewart finished the run with a long jump shot from just inside the 3-point line.
Alanna Smith scored five of the next six points as the Lynx battled back to even the score at 61-all with 2:34 to go. Carleton finished the quarter with a pair of free throws to give the Lynx a one-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
Minnesota led 46-45 at the end of the first half.
Williams and McBride had back-to-back three-point plays to account for a 6-0 run for Minnesota late in the first half. McBride brought the crowd to its feet when she drove to the rim for a layup and added a free throw with 56.6 seconds left.
Fiebich made a hard-nosed layup on the other end of the court to cut New York’s deficit to one point before the break.
–Tom Musick, Field Level Media
