New York Liberty claim maiden WNBA title with 67-62 win over Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 in Brooklyn; Bahamian Jonquel Jones named Finals MVP

Five-time losing finalists, the New York Liberty, can finally call themselves WNBA champions after defeating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in overtime of a decisive Game 5 on Sunday night in Brooklyn.

Bahamian Jonquel Jones scored 17 points to lead New York, which was one of the original franchises in the league.

The win gave the city of New York its first basketball title since 1973, when the Knicks won the NBA championship.

With stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu struggling offensively, other players stepped up for the Liberty, mainly Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally.

Fiebich, a rookie from Germany, started off overtime with a three-pointer before Nyara Sabally had a steal for a layup to make it 65-60 and bring the sellout crowd to its feet.

Minnesota didn’t score in the extra period until Kayla McBride hit two free throws with 1:51 left.

The Lynx, five-time WNBA Champions, missed all six of their field goal attempts in overtime.

After Ionescu missed a shot with 21 seconds left, her 18th miss in 19 shot attempts, the Lynx had one last chance, but Bridget Carleton missed a three-pointer with 16 seconds left.

Stewart, who missed a free throw with 0.8 seconds left in Game 1, hit two free throws with 10.1 seconds left to seal the victory.

Jones was named Finals MVP with averages of 17.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 56 percent shooting throughout the five games.

During Game 5, Jones finished with 17 points, six rebounds and one assist to help the Liberty grab the title.