CNN
—

The Minnesota Lynx won in a winner-takes-all Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday. With the 88-77 win, the Lynx set a date with the New York Liberty in the NBA Finals.

In a back-and-forth series marked by close games, Tuesday night produced a rare blowout. With their home crowd cheering them on at the Target Center in Minneapolis, the Lynx got off to a red-hot start, scoring 31 points in the first quarter and taking an early 13-point lead.

Guard Kayla McBride led the way for Minnesota with 10 points in the opening quarter.

The Lynx continued to capitalize on their lead in the second quarter and led by as many as 21 points – the largest margin of either team in the series to that point.

At halftime, the Lynx led 53-34 and guard Courtney Williams had taken over the scoring lead. Williams scored 15 points in the first half with a perfect shooting performance, going 6-of-6 from the field and 1-of-1 on free throws.

The Sun gave Minnesota a scare with a 7-0 run to start the second half, but the Lynx quickly regained their footing and extended their lead to 24 points.

From then on, it was academic as Minnesota cruised to a comfortable win.

Lynx forward Napheesa Collier finished as the game’s top scorer with 27 points. Collier also became the first player in WBNA history to score at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in three consecutive playoff games.

Williams finished with 24 points and McBride scored 19 points for Minnesota. DiJonai Carrington led Connecticut with 17 points in the game.

“I’ve said from the beginning how special this group is and how we can do big things, and now we’re in the final,” Collier told broadcaster ESPN after the match. “This is the best feeling ever!”

Minnesota’s win sets up a WNBA Finals matchup between the top two teams from the regular season. New York had the best record in the league, but the Lynx defeated the Liberty three of four games during the season, including a win to claim the WNBA’s inaugural Commissioner’s Cup.

Collier was quick to downplay Minnesota’s domination of the Liberty in the regular season.

“I don’t think the regular season means anything,” Collier said. “They’re a great team, number one in the league, but there’s two of us, you know, we’re right behind them.

“I think it’s going to be a great series, great basketball. Two great teams, two teams filled with great players competing.”

The Lynx lead all WNBA teams with four championships in franchise history, the most recent in 2017. The franchise’s seven finals appearances lead all WNBA teams.

The Liberty are making their sixth appearance in the WNBA Finals, but are still looking for their first championship.

The best-of-five WNBA Finals begin Thursday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.