Minnesota Lynx force winner-take-all Game 5 of WNBA Finals with back-and-forth victory over New York Liberty

MINNEAPOLIS — Bridget Carleton made two free throws with 2 seconds left, and the Minnesota Lynx forced a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, beating the New York Liberty 82-80 on Friday night.

The teams will meet Sunday night in New York (7 p.m., ESPN) in the first Game 5 of the Finals since 2019, when Washington topped Connecticut.

Kayla McBride scored 19 points, and Courtney Williams added 15 for Minnesota, which forced Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu into poor shooting nights. Ionescu’s heave at the buzzer didn’t hit the rim.

Unlike the first three games of the series, when one of the teams built a double-digit lead, this one was tight throughout. There were 14 lead changes and 13 ties, and neither team led by more than six.

With the game tied, 80-80, with 18 seconds left, Williams dribbled to run the clock down and missed a jumper with a few seconds left. Carleton got the rebound in the lane and was fouled by Ionescu.

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She calmly made both free throws, and Ionescu was unable to duplicate her heroics in Game 3, when she made a 28-footer with 1 second left to give the Liberty the 2-1 series lead.

Jonquel Jones had 21 points, and Leonie Fiebich scored 19 for New York. Stewart had 11 points on 5-of-20 shooting, and Ionescu was 5-of-16 from the floor and scored 10.