Twice the fun, double the trouble

The GIST: And just like that, one half of the WNBA Finals is officially set, while the other semi series heads to the best two words in women’s basketball: Game 5. Let’s rock.

No. 1 NY Liberty enact revenge on No. 4 Las Vegas Aces, advance to Finals: Nearly one year after losing to the Aces in the 2023 WNBA Finals, NY penned a new ending to the superteam clash yesterday, winning Game 4 76–62 and knocking Vegas out of the postseason.

• After an uncharacteristically quiet Game 3, NY’s Sabrina Ionescu was on fire, putting up 22 points alongside teammate Breanna Stewart’s commanding double-double. However, it was NY’s defense that secured their sixth Finals appearance by holding three Vegas starters to single-digits. They’re the top seed for a reason.

• As Wilson said, it’s enormously difficult to win back-to-back titles, let alone three in a row. The talented Aces squad was largely unchanged from their two championship runs, but this season was stymied by player injuries, resulting in a roller coaster run that ended in the semis.

No. 3 Connecticut Sun complete comeback, force Game 5 against No. 2 Minnesota Lynx: Trailing by seven points and on the brink of elimination at halftime, the Sun blinded the Lynx in the second half, winning 92–82 after outscoring Minnesota 49-32 in the final two quarters.

• Connecticut’s Ty Harris led the charge, scoring a team-high 20 points and keeping the Sun in the game, even while superstars Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner struggled to find their groove in the first half.

• The series now heads back to Minnesota for a winner-take-all Game 5 tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET. The Lynx’s Napheesa Collier is pushing to send her team to the Finals for the first time since 2017, but this Sun roster has seen this film before when they reached the championship series in 2022. You don’t want to miss this.

The GIST: Rally pumpkins at the ready — the best-of-five National League (NL) Division Series Game 2s are in the books, with the American League (AL) Game 2s on deck tonight. Nothing like October baseball.

NL No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies walk off the No. 6 NY Mets to even the series: Call an ambulance, but not for them — after the Mets used a five-run, eighth-inning outburst to win 6–2 on Saturday, the Phillies came out on top 7–6 in yesterday’s back-and-forth battle, lifted by a walk-off single from Nick Castellanos. No telling what could happen in tomorrow’s 5:08 p.m. ET Game 3.

NL No. 4 San Diego Padres blast franchise-record six home runs to tie series vs. No. 1 LA Dodgers: After Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and Co. won Game 1 7–5, the Dads showed their strength last night, overcoming an unruly LA crowd to win Game 2 10–2. The bats are alive, and the blood is boiling — Game 3 goes down tomorrow at 9:08 p.m. ET.

AL No. 6 Detroit Tigers swinging to level series against No. 2 Cleveland Guardians: Fresh off a first-round bye, the Guards looked plenty rested in their explosive 7–0 Game 1 blanking of the Tigers on Saturday. Detroit will counter with ace and Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal and his AL regular-season best 2.39 ERA today at 4:08 p.m. ET.

AL No. 5 Kansas City Royals and No. 1 NY Yankees meet again after tight Game 1: Aided by a controversial review call and some timely hitting, the Yanks claimed Game 1 6–5 on Saturday. Now it’ll be up to top KC hurler Cole Ragans to silence the Bronx Bombers’ bats in hopes of evening the series tonight at 7:38 p.m. ET. Easier said than done.

The GIST: From oreo and peanut butter–inspired handshakes to not one but two 100-yard defensive touchdowns (TDs), Week 5 dropped it like it was hot. Here are the biggest headlines from another loaded week of action — it’s all coming back to us now.

Minnesota Vikings stay undefeated: Just like Hallie and Annie exiled Meredith Blake, the Vikes sent the NY Jets home with an L, winning 23–17 in London. Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel had a pick-six on one of Jets quarterback (QB) Aaron Rodgers’ three interceptions, curbing the excitement of a history-making performance from NY’s now-injured signal caller.

Baltimore Ravens top Cincinnati Bengals in overtime (OT) thriller: Bengals QB Joe Burrow (392 yards, five TDs) did what he set out to do, but when you’re up against Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (348 yards, four TDs), even near-perfection isn’t enough. Jackson led a 10-point, fourth-quarter comeback, setting up a 24-yard game-winning OT field goal from kicker Justin Tucker.

Upstart Washington Commanders look like true contenders: With QB Jayden Daniels breaking rookie records like it’s his job, the Commanders sit atop the NFC East and boast a four-game win streak after yesterday’s dominant 34–13 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Started from the (literal) bottom, now they’re a top-five offense in the league.

Up next — Monday Night Football: Tonight’s 8:15 p.m. ET primetime tilt features the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs (sans star wide receiver Rashee Rice) and the New Orleans Saints, who’ve come back to Earth after a celestial start. Can KC stay in the win column, or will the Saints hand the defending champs their first L of the season?

Spooky season 🤝 women’s sports seasons. October is one of the most action-packed months for women’s sports fans, which is why we’re coming in hot with another Ally Sports Spotlight. Take a break from pumpkin picking and Halloween costume planning to catch these epic events:

• 🏐 Athletes Unlimited (AU) Pro Volleyball Series 2, Thursday through Monday (schedule and viewing info): The country’s most elite volleyball players compete in the innovative AU format just as the sport enjoys a bump, set, spike in popularity.

• 🏀 WNBA Finals, starting Thursday (schedule and viewing info): NBD, it’s just the grand finale of the biggest season in league history featuring the Liberty vs. either the Sun or the Lynx. Buckets on buckets.

• ⚽ NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup Championship, October 25th at 8 p.m. ET (CBSSN): NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Kansas City Current pause their NWSL postseason pushes to contend for the title in the league’s first-ever international club tournament. Say less.

Fall is the busiest time of the year, especially for women’s sports fans, which is why Ally makes it easy to stay on top of your finances and the crowded sports calendar. The real MVP.