Erie native Kayla McBride helps lead Minnesota Lynx to the WNBA Finals

Villa Maria graduate and longtime WNBA standout Kayla McBride scored 19 points on Tuesday to lead the Minnesota Lynx to an 88-77 win over Connecticut in Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals.

The Lynx advance to the WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty beginning on Thursday. McBride knocked down three 3-pointers in the series-deciding win and had four assists, two rebounds and one steal. She averaged 15 points, 3.2 assists. 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in the regular season and has been a key starter for the Lynx throughout the playoffs.

All-star: Minnesota guard Kayla McBride shows skills in her 4th WNBA All-Star weekend appearance

The best-of-five championship series begins Thursday at 8 p.m. on ESPN in New York. Game 2 is Sunday on ABC at 3 p.m. before the series shifts to Minnesota. Game 3 is scheduled for Oct. 16 at 8 p.m., while Games 4 and 5 are set for Oct. 18 and Oct. 20, if necessary.

McBride, 32, a four-time all-star, will compete in her second WNBA Finals after losing in three games to Seattle in 2020 as a member of the Las Vegas Aces.

Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNreisenweber.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie native Kayla McBride leads Minnesota to the WNBA Finals