New York jumped out to a 19-7 lead. By the end of the quarter, it was 24-20. Liberty fans melted in their seats, knowing that their hope against hope for a nice, easy blowout was not meant to be.

Minnesota’s starters collectively had a poor offensive night Tuesday, yet the Lynx bench almost rescued the team. Starting guard Courtney Williams overcame a slow start to finish with a team-high

The Minnesota Lynx (28-5) visit the New York Liberty (21-13) on Tuesday at Barclays Center in a WNBA clash with major playoff seeding on the line.