Napheesa Collier, Lynx defeat Liberty in Commissioner’s Cup title game

Perhaps the hectic schedule and tired legs finally caught up with the New York Liberty. Or maybe the Commissioner’s Cup title game being played at UBS Arena — and not Barclays Center — was at fault for the Libs’ second-half collapse.

But the Minnesota Lynx managed to slow down Sabrina Ionescu’s hot first-half start and withstand Breanna Stewart’s own 9-0 run in the fourth en route to dethroning the defending Commissioner’s Cup Champions, 94-89, Tuesday night.

Commissioner’s Cup MVP Napheesa Collier stuffed the stat sheet, ending the game with 21 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. And each time the Liberty made a threatening run, the WNBA MVP candidate was right there for the buzzkill. Her three-pointer with 4:49 minutes remaining in regulation came moments after Breanna Stewart’s own 9-0 run.

And her layup with three minutes remaining put her team up seven and forced a Sandy Brondello timeout. It was essentially the dagger, but Bridget Clareton scored five points afterwards to drain all the energy out of the Liberty’s home crowd.

The Commissioner’s Cup goes to Minnesota, and so does the $500,000 prize pool money that comes with the win. Lynx guard Courtney Williams made sure to let the crowd know who got paid before the final buzzer as teammates rushed to celebrate on the court.

The Lynx, one of the WNBA’s best defensive teams, managed to hold Jonquel Jones to just three shots and two points. And after scoring 18 points by halftime, Sabrina Ionescu scored just five in the final 20 minutes.

To make matter worse, the Liberty committed 21 turnovers, almost twice the amount the Lynx ended with.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Courtney Vandersloot returned from their absences in Tuesday’s loss. Laney-Hamilton scored 13 in her first start since suffering a knee injury. Vandersloot recorded four points and assists apiece in 13 minutes off the bench.

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