The Liberty Moved One Win Away From The WNBA Finals With A Game 2 Victory Over The Aces

The New York Liberty are one win away from avenging their loss in the 2023 WNBA Finals, and in turn, are on the verge of competing in the Finals this year. New York played host to the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center and picked up an 88-84 win to take a commanding, 2-0 series lead in their semifinal series.

Despite the fact that Kelsey Plum picked up a pair of fouls in the opening two minutes, the first quarter was a back-and-forth affair. With Plum on the bench and A’ja Wilson not getting going as a scorer, the trio of Alysha Clark, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young were able to shoulder the load on that end of the floor, and opened up a lead of as many as eight in the first.

But in the second, the Liberty were able to take control, in large part due to their ability to score inside. Twenty-eight of their 46 points in the first half came in the paint, whether it was off of turnovers by the Aces or their ability to get to the rim in the halfcourt. This helped them withstand a great half from behind the three-point line by Las Vegas, which went 7-for-14 from deep.

Between their interior scoring and a balanced effort that saw five players score seven or more points — Kayla Thornton came off the bench and led the way with nine — New York was able to head into the locker room with a 46-40 lead.

While New York opened the third quarter on a 7-2 run and opened its lead up to as many as 10 points, the team was unable to go on the sort of run that would completely put the Aces away. While Las Vegas couldn’t quite get within arm’s reach — the Liberty lead never got to be fewer than four points — Wilson was able to get going, as her six points in the third matched her total from the first half.

Still, New York showed off its remarkable balance and was able to remain in the driver’s seat, whether that was due to its shooting or its ability to get looks at the rim. By the time the quarter ended, the Liberty had narrowly extended the lead that they took into halftime, as they were up, 69-62.

Early on in the fourth, Las Vegas kept getting close, but New York always seemed to have an answer. When the Aces got the lead down to three at the very start of the period, the Liberty came right back and scored four points in a row. When the lead got down to two midway through the frame, New York were able to get the margin back up to five.

But the Aces kept chipping away and getting close, and with just over 90 seconds left, Tiffany Hayes found Clark in the corner for a triple to tie things up at 81.

On the ensuing possession, New York put the ball in Sabrina Ionescu’s hands and let her go to work, with that faith in her paying off when Ionescu hit a shot from midrange.

A pair of misses by Wilson and Ionescu gave the ball back to Vegas with a chance to tie it up, and while Wilson couldn’t convert a difficult layup, the ensuing scramble led to a jump ball. The Aces won it and Hayes drew a foul, but she split the free throws and opened the door for the Liberty to go up by three after Ionescu was fouled and sent to the charity stripe … only for Ionescu to split her free throws, as well.

Las Vegas advanced the ball into their half after this, but struggled to get the ball in. While Plum came to get it, Leonie Fiebich was able to disrupt the inbound enough, and as a result, the ball bounced off of Plum’s shoulder, went out of bounds, and gave possession back to New York, which got the ball into Ionescu’s hands and watched as she hit a pair of free throws to help ice the game.

Ionescu’s 24 points, nine rebounds, and five assists led the way for New York, while Breanna Stewart likewise stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, right assists, and seven rebounds. Jonquel Jones didn’t quite record a double-double — which is usually a good sign for the Liberty’s chances of picking up a win — but she did go for 14 points and eight boards. As for the Aces, five players scored in double-figures, with Wilson unsurprisingly leading the way with 24 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

While the Aces are now one loss away from elimination, they can take solace in knowing that the series is shifting to Las Vegas. Game 3 between the Aces and the Liberty will take place on Friday, Oct. 4 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.