Lynx pull off 18-point comeback: 'Basketball gods on our side tonight'

Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty were left thinking about what could have been. The Liberty had an 18-point lead in the first half and an 11-point advantage with 3:23 left in regulation before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals slipped away and with it homecourt advantage in the best-of-five series.

The two-time MVP had a chance at the end of regulation to give New York the victory, but the second of her two free throws rimmed out. She then had another opportunity to tie the game at the buzzer in overtime, but her layup fell harmlessly off the basket giving the Lynx the 95-93 victory.

"I want to be taking these shots. I feel like knowing my teammates and that everyone has confidence in me is important. It's kind of like on to the next and still making sure I'm aggressive any time on the court," Stewart said. "Obviously as a player, it's very frustrating. But bounce back for Game 2."

Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx manager (on the win):

"We are the first team in WNBA playoff history to be down 15 and come back and win the game. So that ranks really high. I think it defines our team in of being able to get through difficult times. That's what we say, we've been talking about, all these interviews we've been given, that's what we are talking about: You have to be mentally tough and resilient. You have to look inward and not blame other people, and give each other confidence. And we were that team. You know, thrilled that we could hang in there."

Courtney Williams, Minnesota Lynx guard (on her father's confidence in the team rallying):

"I mean, he believes in us like we believe in ourselves. I think we have such a tight-knit circle with our families involved as well, and we all know what we can do in that. We never give up. He embodies all of our families. They all believe that we can come back and we can win and we can stay composed and hopefully win. The basketball gods were on our side tonight."