Minnesota Lynx vs New York Liberty player stats and box score for Oct. 10 | Game 1, WNBA Finals

The 2024 WNBA Finals featured the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty, both aiming to claim the championship after the Liberty eliminated the Las Vegas Aces in the second round of the playoffs.

On Thursday, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones hosted Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride in Game 1.

The Liberty meant business, as they had a hot start, taking a 14-5 advantage in the first four minutes. The Lynx tried to get close, but the home team was on fire, going up 27-12 after back-to-back 3-pointers from Ionescu.

Jones led the way in the first period with 10 points, while Ionescu added eight. On the other end, McBride scored five units, while both Collier and Williams contributed four points.

The second quarter started with the Lynx trying to cut the lead, but the Liberty went on a 7-0 run to force Cheryl Reeve to call a timeout. They made adjustments, but still allowed second chances to the Liberty that helped them retain their lead heading into halftime.

Minnesota ended up winning the second quarter 17-12, with the Liberty making mistakes that cut their lead from 13 to eight points. Jonquel Jones finished the first half with 13 points while Sabrina Ionescu scored 11 units. Kayla McBride with 10 points and Napheesa Collier with eight points kept the Lynx afloat.

Minnesota Lynx vs New York Liberty player stats and box score

Minnesota Lynx player stats and box score

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
Bridget Carleton	5	3	1	0	0	2
Alanna Smith	9	9	4	1	3	2
Napheesa Collier	21	8	2	3	6	1
Kayla McBride	22	2	4	1	0	1
Courtney Williams	23	5	5	0	0	3
Myisha Hines-Allen	5	2	1	1	0	1
Cecilia Zandalasini	0	0	1	1	0	0
Natisha Hiedeman	10	3	2	1	0	0

New York Liberty player stats and box score

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton	5	4	4	0	0	0
Breanna Stewart	18	9	3	0	2	2
Jonquel Jones	24	10	3	1	0	2
Leonie Fiebich	17	6	4	0	0	0
Sabrina Ionescu	19	5	3	4	0	3
Kayla Thornton	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kennedy Burke	0	1	0	0	0	0
Nyara Sabally	2	3	0	0	1	1
Courtney Vandersloot	8	6	4	0	1	3

Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty: Second half

The Lynx started the third quarter scoring six points in the first two minutes, cutting the lead to four. Natisha Hiedeman stepped up and try to get buckets for her team and they eventually won the quarter 25-24, entering fourth quarter with high hopes to take over the game.

The Liberty once again drifted away from the Lynx with Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich making big shots in the first half. Minnesota didn't give up and kept trying to beat New York, until the scoreboard was tight (83-80) with 42.5 left on the clock.

The Lynx got a clutch stop with 18.5 on the clock after Napheesa Collier blocked Jonquel Jones at the rim. Courtney Williams with a huge 3-pointer tied the game and took the lead for the first time in the game with a four-point play with 5.5 seconds on the clock. The game went to overtime after Breanna Stewart missed one of two shots that could have ended the duel in dramatic fashion.

Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty: Overtime

Led by Courtney Williams and Napheesa Collier, the Lynx entered overtime inspired, taking a 93-89 lead with less than 50 seconds on the clock. The Liberty responded with two points by Sabrina Ionescu after the Williams turned the ball over, forcing Cheryl Reeve to call a timeout.

Jonquel Jones tied the game again at 93 before Napheesa Collier gave her team the lead with a big shot over Jones. Breanna Stewart had the last shot of the night but she missed the layup and gave the Lynx the 95-93 win.