WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand boasts that it punches above its weight in international sport and backed up that claim at the weekend with success around the world and in a variety of sports.
The claim already had gained some credibility this year when the nation of 5.2 million placed 11th on the medal table at the Paris Olympics with 10 gold medals and 20 medals overall.
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RB driver Liam Lawson, of New Zealand, jokes with a friend before the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Nick Didlick)
RB driver Liam Lawson, of New Zealand, sits in his car during a practice session for the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Nick Didlick)
Emirates Team New Zealand's AC75 boat sails during America's Cup Preliminary Regatta ahead of the 37th America's Cup sailing race at the Barcelona's coast, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)
The ball hits the helmet of New Zealand's Will Young as he attempts to play a shot on a delivery by India's Ravindra Jadeja during the day five of the first cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, India, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
New Zealand's players pose with the trophy after winning the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 final match against South Africa at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
New Zealand's team poses with the trophy after winning the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 final match against South Africa at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Over the last 48 hours, New Zealand:
Beat Great Britain 7-2 in the final of the 37th edition of sailing’s America’s Cup to win world sport’s oldest trophy for the third straight time. Team New Zealand is the only team in the modern era to win the trophy on three consecutive occasions.
Beat India by eight wickets in the first cricket test at Bengaluru, winning in India for only the third time and the first time since 1988. The New Zealand Black Caps are only the fourth team to beat India at home this century. New Zealand bowled out India for 46 in its first innings, its lowest-ever total at home.
Beat South Africa by 32 runs to win the women’s Twenty20 cricket World Cup for the first time and as underdogs. South Africa were favorites after beating six-time champion Australia in the semifinals.
In addition:
New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde won the final leg of the World Triathlon Championship Series at Torremolinos, Spain.
Ally Woolaston won the women’s omnium event at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships for her second gold and third medal of the championships.
The New Zealand women’s team beat Italy 6-1 in the final of the Canoe Polo world championships in Deqing, China.
Auckland FC, part owned by American businessman Bill Foley, won its first-ever match in Australian soccer's A-League, beating the Brisbane Roar 2-0.
New Zealand’s Liam Lawson finished ninth in the United States F1 Grand Prix in his first race of the season and after starting from 19th on the grid.
“In New Zealand’s history there haven’t been too many sporting weekends like the one we’ve just seen, with epic wins from Team New Zealand, the White Ferns, the Black Caps, the Silver Ferns (netball team) and the Paddle Ferns (canoe polo team),” New Zealand Sports Minister Chris Bishop said.
“I know lots of Kiwis will be bleary-eyed today after a couple of long nights watching our teams go up against the best. But I bet they’re as stoked at the results and as proud of our teams as I am.
"All in all, I think this was a weekend that will go down in New Zealand’s sporting annals. All five teams should know that their country is enormously proud of them. And I think Kiwi sports fans can be forgiven if they’re caught yawning at work today, after so much sporting excitement packed into one weekend!”
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
RB driver Liam Lawson, of New Zealand, jokes with a friend before the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Nick Didlick)
RB driver Liam Lawson, of New Zealand, sits in his car during a practice session for the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Nick Didlick)
Emirates Team New Zealand's AC75 boat sails during America's Cup Preliminary Regatta ahead of the 37th America's Cup sailing race at the Barcelona's coast, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)
The ball hits the helmet of New Zealand's Will Young as he attempts to play a shot on a delivery by India's Ravindra Jadeja during the day five of the first cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, India, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
New Zealand's players pose with the trophy after winning the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 final match against South Africa at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
New Zealand's team poses with the trophy after winning the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 final match against South Africa at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
NEW YORK (AP) — As confetti fell and Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” blared through the arena, the New York Liberty celebrated the end of a 27-year odyssey.
The team that always fell short, starting from their days in Madison Square Garden, through detours to Radio City Music Hall and Westchester County Center, finally found their way to the top.
Start spreading the news, indeed: There’s finally a pro basketball champion in New York again after a 67-62 overtime win over Minnesota in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday night.
“I’ve been manifesting this moment for awhile, There’s no feeling like it,” Breanna Stewart said. “Credit to Minnesota, they gave us a tough series. The fans have been amazing everywhere we’ve gone. To bring a championship to New York, first ever in franchise history it’s an incredible feeling. I can’t wait to continue to celebrate with the city. It’s going to be bonkers.”
Jonquel Jones scored 17 points to lead New York, which was one of the original franchises in the league. The Liberty made the WNBA Finals five times before, losing each one, including last season. This time they wouldn’t be denied, although it took an extra five minutes.
With stars Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu struggling on offense, other players stepped up. Leonie Fiebich started off OT with a 3-pointer, and then Nyara Sabally had a steal for a layup to make it 65-60 and bring the sellout crowd to a frenzied state.
“Whoever scores in overtime first usually wins,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said.
Minnesota didn’t score in OT until Kayla McBride hit two free throws with 1:51 left. The Lynx missed all six of their field goal attempts in overtime. After Ionescu missed a shot with 21 seconds left, her 18th miss on 19 shot attempts, the Lynx had one last chance, but Bridget Carleton missed a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left.
Stewart, who missed a free throw with 0.8 seconds left in the end of regulation in Game 1, hit two free throws with 10.1 seconds left in overtime to seal the victory.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock the players hugged and streamers fell from the rafters at Barclays Center. Stewart and Jones hugged. The two prize free agent signees two years ago helped get this team its first title.
New York trailed by two in regulation when Stewart was fouled with 5.2 seconds left. After a lengthy video review, Stewart calmly hit two free throws to tie the game at 60.
McBride, who finished with 21 points, had an open look for a 3, but it fell off the rim and the game went to OT.
Many of the former Liberty greats were in the audience, including Teresa Weatherspoon, who hit a half-court heave in the 1999 WNBA Finals to force a decisive Game 3 that year. That was the last time that New York had a chance to play in a championship-deciding game until this year.
Jones, who was the only player on the Liberty to compete in a Game 5 before when she was with Connecticut in 2019, earned MVP honors.
“I could never dream of this. You know how many times I’ve been denied. It was delayed. I am so happy to do it here,” she said.
Napheesa Collier scored 22 points to lead Minnesota before fouling out with 13 seconds left in OT.
The Lynx were trying for a record fifth WNBA title, breaking a tie with the Seattle Storm and Houston Comets. Minnesota won four titles from 2011-17 behind the core group of Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore. That was the team’s last appearance in the WNBA Finals until this year.
“Congratulations to the Liberty on their first championship,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. “It took them 28 years, congrats to them. We were that close to our fifth, it just didn’t happen.”
This is the first time since 2019 that the WNBA Finals have gone the distance. Since the league switched to a best-of-five format in 2005, seven other series have gone to a Game 5 and the home team had won five of those previous contests, including in 2019.
This series has been a fitting conclusion to a record-breaking season for the league. All five games came down to the last few possessions and have included two overtime games and a last-second shot, which have led to record ratings.
The first three games each had over a million viewers on average, with the audience growing for each contest. They also have had huge crowds in attendance.
Liberty fan Spike Lee was courtside over an hour before tipoff chatting with the media while wearing his Ionescu jersey. Once Ionescu finished warming up pregame, the pair had a brief exchange and hugged. Lee was part of a sellout crowd of 18,090 that helped this series set both the overall attendance record for a WNBA Finals as well as the average attendance mark.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts after scoring against the Minnesota Lynx during the third quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates after the Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series to win the WNBA championship, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
The New York Liberty hold up the championship trophy after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
The New York Liberty hold up the championship trophy after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts after scoring against the Minnesota Lynx during the third quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (44) puts up a shot against Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride (21) during the first quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich (13) drives up the court against Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) during the first quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Liberty forward Nyara Sabally (8) grabs control of a rebound against Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith (8) during the first quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) goes up for a shot against Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) during the first quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith (8) puts up a shot against New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during the first quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) is fouled by Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) during the first quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) drives against Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) during the second quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (44) reacts during the second quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series against the Minnesota Lynx, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) and Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) battle for a loose ball during the second quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Minnesota Lynx forward Cecilia Zandalasini (9) battles for a loose ball against New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, left, and guard Sabrina Ionescu, right, during the second quarter of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts in overtime of Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series against the Minnesota Lynx, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) celebrates their victory over the New York Liberty after Game 4 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Minneapolis. The Lynx won 82-80, forcing a Game 5 in the series. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts after missing a shot at the buzzer during the second half of Game 4 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Minneapolis. The Lynx won 82-80, forcing a Game 5 in the series. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) reacts after defeating the New York Liberty after Game 4 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Minneapolis. The Lynx won 82-80, forcing a Game 5 in the series. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
