CNN
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Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty are one win away from claiming the franchise’s first WNBA title after a shocking 80-77 win over the Minnesota Lynx in Game 3 of the finals on Wednesday, taking a 2-1 lead in the series of names.

With the score tied at 77 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Liberty star forward Ionescu knocked down the winning three-pointer from near the logo with just over two seconds left.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Liberty in the build-up to the match-winner. They found themselves behind Lynx guard Kayla McBride at halftime, who finished the first half with 13 points.

The Liberty found some fight and clawed their way back behind Breanna Stewart in the second half.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Liberty tied the game at 66 after Stewart knocked down a three. Both teams continued to trade scores until Liberty forward Jonquel Jones’ layup gave her team the lead, and Ionescu would add a three-pointer with just under a minute remaining to make it a 77-73 game.

But it wasn’t over yet as Lynx star Napheesa Collier made both of her free throws to tie the game at 77 with 16 seconds left.

Ionescu, who struggled for most of the game, would catch the inbound pass and play hero for the Liberty to complete the 15-point comeback, the third largest comeback in WNBA Finals history.

Stewart finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, while Ionescu added 13 points, six assists and five rebounds. She joked after the game that she couldn’t remember the last play.

“I had to look at the video very quickly to see how far I was,” Ionescu told reporters, adding: “Sometimes it goes in and sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve practiced that shot a thousand times in my head, on the court, and I feel like that’s something that puts you in that position as athletes of wanting to be able to make a shot.”

Ionescu later called it the “greatest opportunity of my career and hopefully not the last.”

Game 4 is scheduled for Friday at 8:00 PM ET in Minneapolis.

Stewart acknowledged the team is now one win away from capturing their historic first title, but said the job is not done yet.

“We know we are one game away from winning the championship, and I think they will give us their best,” she said. “They’re going to give it everything they’ve got, and you know what, so are we. The turnaround is fast, but we remain ready for it.”

Despite the loss, Collier made some WNBA history of his own.

The 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year finished with 22 points and increased her postseason point total to 249. She passes Diana Taurasi for the most in a single postseason in WNBA history, which originally took place in 2009.