MINNEAPOLIS — Until Wednesday night, the Minnesota Lynx had never won a W.N.B.A. championship on their home floor at Target Center. With the Lynx facing the Indiana Fever in the deciding Game 5 of the finals, the chance to see something special brought out the largest crowd the Lynx have ever had — 18,933, about 400 short of a sellout.
The towel-waving cacophony appeared to energize the Lynx, who dominated the second half with suffocating defense to win, 69-52, for their third championship in five years. Not since the Houston Comets won the first four W.N.B.A. titles from 1997 to 2000 has a team had such a prolonged stretch of success in the league.