Liberty fail to make statement with stunningly poor Game 2 showing vs. Aces
Liberty players sit on the bench as they trail the Las Vegas Aces in the final minute during the second half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. Credit: AP/John Locher
LAS VEGAS
Stick together. Stick together.
Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones could both be heard yelling this at their teammates who looked bewildered Wednesday night as they gave up basket after basket in the opening minutes of Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.
The Liberty had wanted to make a statement, had wanted to open the game strong and show the Aces that they intended to tie the series. Instead, it was the Aces who made a statement loud and clear, after putting together one of the best first quarters in WNBA playoff history.
The Ace were able to turn a 38-point first quarter into a 104-76 victory in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals. As a result, the Liberty now find themselves on the precipice of being swept in the best-of-five series which resumes Sunday at Barclays Center.
It was a stunningly disappointing showing by the Liberty, who until this game had not lost two games in a row in either the regular season or playoffs. The Aces, meanwhile, remain undefeated in the playoffs.
“We didn’t execute anything we wanted,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “We didn’t have any toughness. We had no resistance. We didn’t compete. There was no grit and we talked about it. We know how to play.”
Vegas was able to take control the same way they took control in Game 1, by exploiting the fact they have superior starting guards on both offense and defense. Liberty starter Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot were no match for Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young.
How ugly was it? Three minutes in, the Aces had a 14-2 lead. Seven minutes in, they led by 20. By the time the quarter was over, the Aces had scored a WNBA playoff record 38 first-quarter points and had a 19-point lead. The Aces shot 70% from the field with every starter having knocked down at least one three.
The Liberty were able to cut the lead to nine in the second quarter, before being outscored 28-13 in the third as the game completely fell apart. The only player who was able to do anything for the Liberty was Jonquel Jones, who finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
“Our guards struggled out there last night and their guards could do what they wanted,” Brondello said. “They were open. They wanted it more than us. I know we’re way better than that.”
Though the problems in this game started with the Liberty guards — who scored a combined 22 points on 6-for-25 shooting — they weren’t the only ones to fall short.
A’ja Wilson came out clearly ahead of Breanna Stewart, the player who had beat her out for MVP in the regular season. Wilson finished the game with 26 points and 15 rebounds and was a plus-31 on the floor. Stewart, meanwhile, scored just 14 points, was 1-for-6 from three-point range and 6-for-17 overall.
“We know what we’re playing for,” Wilson said.
The series had been billed as a battle of the two most dominant players on the two most dominant teams. It was widely seen as a matchup with the potential to push the league to the next level, much like the rivalry between the Celtics’ Larry Bird and the Lakers’ Magic Johnson did for the NBA in the 1980s.
They have combined to win four of the last six WNBA MVP awards, with Stewart having edged Wilson and Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas for the top honor this year. Wilson’s career also includes wining two defensive player of the year awards while Stewart just broke the league’s single-season scoring record.
“This really could become one of those great rivalries,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said when asked about the Bird-Magic comparison before Game 1. “These are two young players in the league and have been since they came into the league. They’ve been an incredible foil for their fan bases.”
Wilson certainly seemed fired up to go up against Stewart and the Liberty, especially after it was announced two weeks ago that Stewart had won the MVP.
“It hurt like hell,” said Wilson, who won the MVP in 2020 and 2022. “It really did. But it’s all a part of the game.”
Now, it’s Stewart and the Liberty who hurt like hell as they desperately search for a way to “Stick together. Stick together” and not get swept on their home court.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
