Aussie star to take on Opals coach in WNBA finals

Alanna Smith has lifted Minnesota into the WNBA finals, setting up a showdown with her Opals coach Sandy Brondello and New York Liberty.

Smith nailed three-pointers in the first and third quarters as her Lynx prevailed 88-77 in the decisive fifth game of their semi-final series against Connecticut.

The Lynx advanced to face the top-seeded Liberty, with the best-of-five series starting in New York on Friday morning (AEST).

The series will pit Brondello and Smith, both key figures in Australia's bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, against each other.

Smith averaged 11.5 points and eight rebounds at the Games to earn a spot in the Olympic tournament's All-Star Five.

Brondello was appointed Opals coach in 2017, and has been head coach of New York's WNBA franchise since 2022.

With three more wins, Minnesota will become the first WNBA team to claim five championships, breaking a tie with the Houston Comets and Seattle Storm.

The Liberty are gunning for their first title in franchise history, having made the championship round five times and lost each series.

The Lynx, who finished second in the league and two games behind the Liberty during the regular season, have won three of four match-ups with New York this year.

That run includes when Minnesota won the WNBA Commissioner's Cup on June 25.

"I think the regular season doesn't mean anything, they are an amazing team," Minnesota star Napheesa Collier said.

"It's going to be a great series, great basketball. Two teams with great players competing."

Smith finished with seven points, three rebounds and three assists on Wednesday, spending 30 minutes on the court against Connecticut.

Collier had 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Courtney Williams contributed 24 points and both-ends-of-the-court energy to lead the Lynx past Connecticut and into the WNBA finals for the first time since 2017.

"They just kind of punched us in the face, and we got shellshocked and then we couldn't fight back," Connecticut's DeWanna Bonner said.

The Lynx built a lead as large as 21 points in the second quarter, six more than their biggest of any of the first four games.

They had a sluggish start to the second half that was muted by the Sun's cold shooting, before Smith swished a three-pointer to end a 4:22 scoreless skid.