There have been moments of beauty in the WNBA Finals. Like Napheesa Collier’s game-winning jumper in Game 1 that capped a 15-point comeback, or Sabrina Ionescu’s already iconic buzzer-beating 3 in Game 3.

There have also been ugly moments. Like the pain of Alanna Smith’s repeated back problems, or the heartbreak of Breanna Stewart’s missed free throws in Game 1.

And in Game 5 on Sunday night, it was all ugly. Missed free throws, low shooting numbers, poor execution, questionable calls. There was nothing going on that a coach would hope for. But in the end it was beautiful for the New York Liberty. Because the mistakes didn’t matter. The ugliness had no power whatsoever. It was all about the final score and what that meant for the franchise.

New York defeated Minnesota 67-62 in overtime to claim the organization’s first WNBA title after 28 years of trying. That kind of beauty trumps any ugliness on the field.

But for Minnesota, it was all storybook ugliness without end. Instead, it ended with coach Cheryl Reeve calling out from behind a microphone for the officer on duty.

“All the headlines will be, ‘Reeve cries foul.’ Bring it on,” Reeve said. “Because this s*** was stolen from us.”

Reeve disagreed with three major things about the referee: the difference in free throws between both teams, the way Napheesa Collier was officiated and a challenge call at the end of regulation.

The Liberty attempted 25 free throws, while the Lynx went to the line eight times, which Reeve said was unfair.

She also noted that Collier doesn’t get the same calls as other WNBA stars, especially Stewart.

“This s*** ain’t that hard,” Reeve said of the officiant. “It’s not that difficult when someone is detained. Be consistent. If you don’t want to call it on one side, don’t call it on the other side. Every team asks for that.”

For Reeve, the game came down to the final five seconds of regulation.

Stewart drove to the hoop and was met by Smith, who tried to plant her feet and go straight up. A foul was called, which Minnesota eventually challenged. After a lengthy review, the call stood and Stewart went to the line and hit two free throws.

Reeve said the call should have been quashed.

“It’s a shame that management has played such a role in a series like this,” she said. “We need to change our challenge rules. The referees officiating the play must have a third party because that was not a foul. That call should have been reversed.

“That decided the match.”

The referee was just part of the overall chaos of the match.

Collectively, the Liberty and Lynx shot 33.8% from the field and just 11.9% from beyond the arc. The Liberty typically shoot 44.2% from the field and 38.7% from beyond the arc, while the Lynx shoot 47.1% from the field and 37.6% from three-point range.

The blistering performances that characterized the series through Sunday were nowhere to be seen.

For Minnesota, Collier and Kayla McBride scored 22 and 21 points, respectively, but the rest of the starting five combined to score just 13 points. Courtney Williams, who averaged 16.3 points over the previous four games, finished with just four points on Sunday and went 2-for-14 from the field.

And for the Liberty, Ionescu and Stewart were pretty much freezing all game. Ionescu was 1-of-19 shooting, and her only basket came with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter. She averages 2.8 three-pointers per game, but on Sunday Ionescu was 1-for-10.

Stewart had her own shooting problems. She finished with 13 points, making four of her 15 attempts. Stewart also missed two free throws with 38 seconds left in regulation when the Liberty trailed by 2 in a sequence reminiscent of her Game 1 misses.

This time she managed to bounce back and make her next two attempts after the Lynx challenge Reeve called was unsuccessful with 5 seconds left. Stewart is an 85.4% free throw shooter.

But despite the poor shooting performance, Stewart was determined to impact the game in other ways. She finished with 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

“I came in with the plan of, ‘It doesn’t matter,’” she said. “I want to play defense, I want to rebound, I want to do the little things. I’m going to stay aggressive and shoot my shots, but if they don’t fall, I’m not going to let that affect the way I do things.”

The battle of the Liberty stars gave way to an unlikely hero. Jonquel Jones earned Finals MVP honors as the only member of New York’s Big Three to excel on offense with 17 points, but it was Nyara Sabally’s play off the bench that made the biggest difference.

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello prepared Sabally at halftime, letting her know she would play longer minutes, and Sabally delivered. In a sea of ​​low numbers, Sabally was efficient, going 5-for-7 from the field for 13 points and 7 rebounds.

“She has that X factor,” Brondello said. “She has the ability to play one-on-one, rebound the ball and play great defense. Everything. In the biggest match of her career, she really took advantage of the opportunity. For a young player that says a lot about her. The future looks quite bright.”

Things are also rosy for the Liberty organization. Because they finally won a title. It didn’t happen the way they would have written, but it happened.

“That was ugly,” Brondello said. “But we found a way to win.”