Pauline Astier’s fourth-quarter burst helps Liberty pull away from Lynx, 93-81

The game stayed close until the shooting spread widened

Minnesota had the sharper response to New York’s fast start. The Liberty opened 6-0 inside the first 76 seconds, but the Lynx answered with an 11-0 burst, getting baskets from Courtney Williams, Olivia Miles and Napheesa Collier to move in front 11-6. That set the tone for a competitive first half: plenty of swings, little separation, and a scoreboard that rarely let either side breathe.

The Lynx were still in front 20-19 after one quarter and pushed that edge to 26-21 midway through the second. That was the moment New York steadied itself. Astier hit back-to-back twos, Jonquel Jones scored twice to erase the deficit, and Sabrina Ionescu added a pair of mid-range baskets before the break. New York’s 12-4 finish to the half, capped by Rebekah Gardner’s layup and another Jones basket in the final minute, turned a four-point hole into a 41-37 lead.

What made the game intriguing is that Minnesota did several things well enough to stay in it. The Lynx finished with 22 assists to New York’s 17, won the paint 44-38, and held a 38-37 rebounding edge. Both teams even took exactly 74 shots. But the Liberty were far more efficient from the line that bends games out of shape: 13 made threes on 29 attempts, compared with Minnesota’s 6-for-22. In a game this even elsewhere, that seven-three gap was enormous.

Johannes lit the third. Astier finished the fourth.

The third quarter was the game in miniature, a constant tug with no promise of escape. Minnesota got level at 51-51 on Nia Brodie’s three with 3:45 left in the period and went back ahead, 55-54, on Collier’s layup at 2:40. New York answered, but not with a long, grinding spell of control. Instead it came in jolts. Marine Johannes hit from 26 feet at 1:30, drilled another three at 41.5 seconds, then buried one more from 25 feet with 9.5 seconds left. Those shots alone flipped a one-point Liberty edge into a 65-62 lead entering the fourth.

Minnesota still had one more push. Miles opened the final quarter aggressively, and her driving layup plus free throw at 8:18 gave the Lynx a 69-67 lead. It lasted all of 12 seconds. Stewart answered from 24 feet at 8:06, Astier followed with a three of her own at 7:38, and New York had its leverage back. The Liberty did not hand it over again.

Astier was the quiet hinge of the finish. After Jones hit a jumper at 7:08, Astier scored on a layup at 6:42 and then knocked down another 24-footer at 6:05 for an 80-73 lead. She finished with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and made both of her three-point attempts. Johannes, in only 11 minutes, added 13 points and four threes. Stewart supplied the headline numbers with 24 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while Jones posted 18 points and 10 boards. Ionescu’s 17 points and six assists kept the offense connected. New York had stars, but it also had timely secondary scoring, and that was the difference between surviving a close game and winning it cleanly.

Even after the Astier surge, Minnesota kept threatening. Collier cut it to 80-77 with 3:52 left. The Liberty closed the door from there with a composed 13-4 finish: Stewart scored on a layup and a jumper, Astier added another basket, Jones knocked down a three and then a layup, and Ionescu finished the scoring at the line. The Lynx had stayed attached all night. New York’s closing sequence finally snapped that rope.

Our take: Minnesota found offense, but not enough efficient offense

Minnesota’s stat line is a reminder that not every double-digit loss looks the same. The Lynx were not overwhelmed on the glass, and they moved the ball well enough to pile up 22 assists. Miles had 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Collier scored 14 on 7-of-11 shooting, and Natasha Howard added 11 on 4-of-6. But the Lynx never found enough clean perimeter scoring to match New York’s bursts. Miles and Kayla McBride combined to shoot 10-for-33 from the field, Minnesota hit only 6 of 22 from deep, and 19 total turnovers gave the Liberty 21 points. That is too much leakage against a team that can score in clusters.

For New York, the win was convincing without being spotless, and that matters too. The Liberty still turned it over 16 times, and Minnesota got 44 points in the paint plus 11 offensive rebounds. Those are numbers worth cleaning up. But if the Liberty keep pairing Stewart’s all-around control with Jones’ interior production and this kind of three-point support around them, they will live comfortably with a few rough edges. Friday’s result was not just about making shots. It was about making the right ones at the exact moments the game was still asking a question.

Scoring moments

1. 1st Quarter · 9:09

   Breanna Stewart makes 24-foot three point jumper (Sabrina Ionescu assists)

2. 1st Quarter · 8:44

   Jonquel Jones makes driving layup (Pauline Astier assists)

3. 1st Quarter · 8:44

   Jonquel Jones makes free throw 1 of 1

4. 1st Quarter · 8:32

   Courtney Williams makes 5-foot driving floating jump shot (Napheesa Collier assists)

5. 1st Quarter · 8:06

   Courtney Williams makes 25-foot three point jumper (Olivia Miles assists)

6. 1st Quarter · 7:38

   Olivia Miles makes two point shot

7. 1st Quarter · 7:24

   Courtney Williams makes running layup

8. 1st Quarter · 6:50

   Napheesa Collier makes 12-foot fade away jump shot

9. 1st Quarter · 6:27

   Sabrina Ionescu makes 23-foot three pointer

10. 1st Quarter · 6:14

    Courtney Williams makes 19-foot jumper (Natasha Howard assists)

11. 1st Quarter · 5:49

    Sabrina Ionescu makes 23-foot three point jumper (Pauline Astier assists)

12. 1st Quarter · 5:38

    Kayla McBride makes 5-foot two point shot (Natasha Howard assists)

13. 1st Quarter · 4:01

    Breanna Stewart makes free throw 1 of 2

14. 1st Quarter · 3:15

    Breanna Stewart makes running layup

15. 1st Quarter · 3:15

    Breanna Stewart makes free throw 1 of 1

16. 1st Quarter · 2:07

    Marine Johannes makes 25-foot three point step back jumpshot

17. 1st Quarter · 1:46

    Maya Caldwell makes 25-foot three point jumper (Courtney Williams assists)

18. 1st Quarter · 1:05

    Natasha Howard makes driving layup (Olivia Miles assists)

19. 2nd Quarter · 9:43

    Natasha Howard makes driving layup (Maya Caldwell assists)

20. 2nd Quarter · 9:43

    Natasha Howard makes free throw 1 of 1

21. 2nd Quarter · 8:21

    Rebecca Allen makes free throw 1 of 2

22. 2nd Quarter · 8:21

    Rebecca Allen makes free throw 2 of 2

23. 2nd Quarter · 7:53

    Kayla McBride makes 2-foot layup (Dorka Juhasz assists)

24. 2nd Quarter · 7:53

    Kayla McBride makes free throw 1 of 1

25. 2nd Quarter · 7:37

    Pauline Astier makes two point shot

26. 2nd Quarter · 6:57

    Pauline Astier makes two point shot

27. 2nd Quarter · 6:17

    Jonquel Jones makes 2-foot layup (Sabrina Ionescu assists)

28. 2nd Quarter · 6:04

    Courtney Williams makes 23-foot three point jumper (Napheesa Collier assists)

29. 2nd Quarter · 5:45

    Jonquel Jones makes 16-foot jumper (Breanna Stewart assists)

30. 2nd Quarter · 3:41

    Kayla McBride makes free throw 1 of 2

31. 2nd Quarter · 3:41

    Kayla McBride makes free throw 2 of 2

32. 2nd Quarter · 3:07

    Natasha Howard makes free throw 1 of 2

33. 2nd Quarter · 3:07

    Natasha Howard makes free throw 2 of 2

34. 2nd Quarter · 2:53

    Sabrina Ionescu makes 12-foot pullup jump shot

35. 2nd Quarter · 2:18

    Sabrina Ionescu makes 11-foot two point shot

36. 2nd Quarter · 1:48

    Breanna Stewart makes tip shot

37. 2nd Quarter · 1:35

    Olivia Miles makes free throw 1 of 2

38. 2nd Quarter · 1:35

    Olivia Miles makes free throw 2 of 2

39. 2nd Quarter · 1:18

    Breanna Stewart makes 8-foot two point shot

40. 2nd Quarter · 1:00

    Rebekah Gardner makes running layup (Sabrina Ionescu assists)

41. 2nd Quarter · 53.9

    Olivia Miles makes 1-foot two point shot

42. 2nd Quarter · 43.2

    Jonquel Jones makes driving layup

43. 3rd Quarter · 9:15

    Napheesa Collier makes 10-foot fade away jump shot (Kayla McBride assists)

44. 3rd Quarter · 8:55

    Sabrina Ionescu makes 11-foot driving floating jump shot

45. 3rd Quarter · 7:44

    Breanna Stewart makes driving layup (Sabrina Ionescu assists)

46. 3rd Quarter · 7:44

    Breanna Stewart makes free throw 1 of 1

47. 3rd Quarter · 7:28

    Olivia Miles makes free throw 1 of 2

48. 3rd Quarter · 6:53

    Breanna Stewart makes free throw 1 of 2

49. 3rd Quarter · 6:53

    Breanna Stewart makes free throw 2 of 2

50. 3rd Quarter · 6:42

    Natasha Howard makes 3-foot driving floating jump shot (Olivia Miles assists)

51. 3rd Quarter · 5:32

    Kayla McBride makes 24-foot three point jumper (Nia Brodie assists)

52. 3rd Quarter · 5:15

    Leonie Fiebich makes 24-foot three point jumper (Pauline Astier assists)

53. 3rd Quarter · 4:51

    Kayla McBride makes technical free throw

54. 3rd Quarter · 4:26

    Olivia Miles makes 2-foot two point shot (Napheesa Collier assists)

55. 3rd Quarter · 3:45

    Nia Brodie makes 23-foot running jump shot (Napheesa Collier assists)

56. 3rd Quarter · 3:32

    Sabrina Ionescu makes 27-foot three point jumper (Breanna Stewart assists)

57. 3rd Quarter · 3:11

    Kayla McBride makes two point shot

58. 3rd Quarter · 2:40

    Napheesa Collier makes layup (Maya Caldwell assists)

59. 3rd Quarter · 2:27

    Breanna Stewart makes free throw 1 of 2

60. 3rd Quarter · 1:30

    Marine Johannes makes 26-foot three pointer (Rebekah Gardner assists)

61. 3rd Quarter · 1:08

    Marine Johannes makes free throw 2 of 2

62. 3rd Quarter · 55.9

    Kayla McBride makes 24-foot three point jumper (Maya Caldwell assists)

63. 3rd Quarter · 41.5

    Marine Johannes makes 25-foot three pointer (Rebekah Gardner assists)

64. 3rd Quarter · 28.6

    Napheesa Collier makes 1-foot layup (Nia Brodie assists)

65. 3rd Quarter · 9.5

    Marine Johannes makes 25-foot three pointer

66. 3rd Quarter · 4.5

    Olivia Miles makes free throw 1 of 2

67. 3rd Quarter · 4.5

    Olivia Miles makes free throw 2 of 2

68. 4th Quarter · 9:27

    Natasha Howard makes 1-foot layup (Dorka Juhasz assists)

69. 4th Quarter · 9:08

    Jonquel Jones makes two point shot

70. 4th Quarter · 8:47

    Olivia Miles makes running layup

71. 4th Quarter · 8:18

    Olivia Miles makes driving layup

72. 4th Quarter · 8:18

    Olivia Miles makes free throw 1 of 1

73. 4th Quarter · 8:06

    Breanna Stewart makes 24-foot three point jumper (Leonie Fiebich assists)

74. 4th Quarter · 7:38

    Pauline Astier makes 24-foot three point jumper (Leonie Fiebich assists)

75. 4th Quarter · 7:21

    Maya Caldwell makes 4-foot layup (Natasha Howard assists)

76. 4th Quarter · 7:08

    Jonquel Jones makes 17-foot two point shot

77. 4th Quarter · 6:42

    Pauline Astier makes 1-foot layup (Breanna Stewart assists)

78. 4th Quarter · 6:24

    Olivia Miles makes free throw 1 of 2

79. 4th Quarter · 6:24

    Olivia Miles makes free throw 2 of 2

80. 4th Quarter · 6:05

    Pauline Astier makes 24-foot three pointer

81. 4th Quarter · 4:33

    Olivia Miles makes free throw 1 of 2

82. 4th Quarter · 4:33

    Olivia Miles makes free throw 2 of 2

83. 4th Quarter · 3:52

    Napheesa Collier makes driving layup (Courtney Williams assists)

84. 4th Quarter · 2:58

    Breanna Stewart makes running layup

85. 4th Quarter · 2:19

    Pauline Astier makes 4-foot two point shot

86. 4th Quarter · 2:08

    Napheesa Collier makes 2-foot layup (Olivia Miles assists)

87. 4th Quarter · 1:33

    Breanna Stewart makes 12-foot jumper (Sabrina Ionescu assists)

88. 4th Quarter · 1:26

    Napheesa Collier makes 6-foot fade away jump shot (Olivia Miles assists)

89. 4th Quarter · 1:09

    Jonquel Jones makes 23-foot three point jumper (Sabrina Ionescu assists)

90. 4th Quarter · 36.4

    Jonquel Jones makes 2-foot layup (Breanna Stewart assists)

91. 4th Quarter · 20.8

    Sabrina Ionescu makes free throw 1 of 2

92. 4th Quarter · 20.8

    Sabrina Ionescu makes free throw 2 of 2