An emotional roller coaster of a game ended in euphoria for the Minnesota Lynx.

Napheesa Collier scored on a 12-foot fadeaway jumper with 9.3 seconds left in overtime and the Lynx pulled off an astonishing comeback to stun New York 95-93 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

The last six teams to win the first game of the finals have gone on to win the title.

Collier finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and six blocks. Courtney Williams was more aggressive and clutch down the stretch, including scoring five of her team-high 23 points in overtime. Kayla McBride scored 22 points.

“These people that I’m around, we believe in each other so much,” Williams said.

Coach Cheryl Reeve said the performance was quintessential Lynx. “You have to be mentally tough, resilient. You have to look inward and not blame other people and give each other confidence. We were that team.”

How unlikely was Minnesota’s win?

The Lynx tied the WNBA record for largest comeback in finals history, and they are the first team in postseason history to win a game after trailing by at least 15 points in the final five minutes of regulation. Teams were previously 0-183 in that scenario.

“The basketball gods were with us tonight,” said Williams, who added five rebounds and five assists.

Breanna Stewart missed a potential game-tying layup at the buzzer for New York.

“The beauty is we have another game Sunday and we’ll be ready,” she said.

That afternoon contest will be back in Brooklyn with Game 3 scheduled Wednesday in Minneapolis.

Down by 18 early in the second quarter, the Lynx got within two points a couple times in the third quarter, fell behind by 15 midway through the fourth quarter yet rallied to get within one possession in the final minute.

The excitement was far from over.

A 4-point play by Williams with 5.5 seconds left in regulation capped an 18-2 Minnesota run to give the Lynx their first lead at 84-83.

And, still, hearts continued to beat faster.

Collier blocked a shot by Stewart, but the ball went out of bounds with 1 second left. Sabrina Ionescu inbounded to Stewart between Smith and Collier, and Collier was whistled for a foul on Stewart, a call upheld by video review.

Stewart made her first free throw but missed her second. Williams’ last-second jumper was off the mark.

A 3-point play by Natisha Hiedeman got the Lynx within 68-64 early in the fourth quarter, but four players scored in a 13-2 Liberty answer before McBride and Hiedeman scored from deep to get the Lynx within 81-72 with 3:41 to play.

“They executed better than us, they found a way to win. They made some big shots, timely shots when they needed to,” said Liberty coach Sandy Brondello. “We have to be better. We’re a better team that we showed today.”

New York outrebounded the Lynx 44-32, including 20-5 on the offensive end.

Back-to-back slick passes from Courtney Vandersloot to Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton put the Liberty up 39-21 less than 4 minutes into the second quarter. Minnesota got within 44-36 at the break.

New York shot 50% in the first quarter, but 33.3% in the final three.

“We got big stops when we needed them. … We just had to be gritty at the end, we had to get stops to win and that’s what I’m proud of,” Reeve said.

Minnesota scored eight of the first 10 points in the third quarter to get within two, but New York responded with a 14-6 run to push its lead back to double digits. It led 67-61 heading to the fourth quarter.

League schedule, playoff changes for 2025

Beginning next season, the WNBA Finals will expand to a best-of-seven series with a 2-2-1-1-1 format. “This will give our fans a championship series format that they are accustomed to seeing in other sports,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said before the game.

The first round will remain a best-of-three; however, it will be a 1-1-1 format replacing a format that had the first two games at the higher seed and third, if necessary, at the lower seed.

The second round will remain a best-of-five.

Additionally, the regular season will expand from 40 to 44 games.

“The league’s growth and increased demand for WNBA basketball made this the ideal time to expand the schedule, lengthen the Finals and provide fans more opportunities to see the best players in the world compete at the highest level,” Engelbert said.