Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu refused to be shut down.

After trailing most of the evening and falling into a 15-point hole at one point, Stewart erupted in the second half before Ionescu drilled a game-winner and left Target Center completely stunned. After Ionescu sank a shot just inside the Lynx halfcourt logo with just over a second left, the Liberty sneaked away with an 80-77 victory in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday night.

That gave the Liberty a 2-1 lead in the series and are now just a single win away from their first-ever championship.

The Liberty led for a total of about two minutes in Game 3 on Wednesday night and looked good almost from the start. The Lynx opened the game with a 21-7 lead and forced seven turnovers during that time before building a 15-point lead at the climax.

But Stewart finally came through in the second half. She went on a quick 8-0 run to end the third quarter and cut the Lynx’s deficit to just a single point with a huge and-one in the final seconds. She also scored 14 points in the third quarter alone.

Stewart also scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter for the Liberty, quickly tying the game at another 1-1. She reached 30 points, which marked her third 30-point night in a WNBA Finals game, tying Angel McCoughtry for the most points in league history.

But after a free throw from Stewart with just over six minutes left in the game, the Liberty largely tied it. No one else scored for New York over the next three minutes, allowing the Lynx to stay one step ahead. Finally, Jonquel Jones hit a 3-pointer and then made a layup 90 seconds in, giving the Liberty the lead for the first time since the opening sequence.

That, along with a 3-pointer from Ionescu just 30 seconds later, gave the Liberty a five-point lead. That was only Ionescu’s second three-pointer of the night.

The Lynx tied the game one final time, thanks to a layup from Bridget Carleton and then two free throws from Napheesa Collier – who had a historic night herself. However, this set up Ionescu’s game-winning shot and eventual three-point victory for the Liberty.

Stewart finished the game with 30 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 9 of 20 from the field. Ionescu had 13 points, six assists and five rebounds. She also shot just 3 of 8 from behind the arc.

Collier led the Lynx with 22 points and nine rebounds. She also surpassed Diana Taurasi’s single-season playoff points record. Taurasi dropped 245 points in the 2009 playoffs. Kayla McBride added 19 points and made five 3-pointers, and Carleton finished with 14 points.

Game 4 of the series is scheduled for Friday evening. Despite being eliminated from the Finals by the Las Vegas Aces last season, the Liberty now have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take home the WNBA title for the first time.