It was the perfect coda to Collier's virtuosic performance, tallying 21 points, eight rebounds, three steals and six blocks. She outplayed her marquee counterpart, Liberty's Breanna Stewart, who finished with 18 points on 6-of-21 shooting from the field.

NEW YORK — For the briefest of moments, Breanna Stewart put her hands on her head. Then she slapped them on her legs, bowed her head and gave a half-hearted high five to a New York Liberty teammate.

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.