Liberty hoping to rebound, leave Las Vegas with trip to WNBA Finals
Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) is defended by Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum, top, during a WNBA basketball semifinal game Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Las Vegas. Credit: AP/Ronda Churchill
The two-time defending champion Aces showed Friday night that it’s going to be difficult to evict them from this WNBA semifinal series, that they’re intent on keeping the throne.
As the best-of-five series shifted to Las Vegas for Game 3 with the top-seeded Liberty trying to complete a sweep, the Aces were exceptional and their opponent was not.
The fourth-seeded Aces’ 95-81 win was their WNBA-record 12th straight at home in postseason play. Now the Liberty need to take Game 4 there Sunday or be faced with a nerve-wracking win-or-else finale Tuesday night at Barclays Center.
“The reality is it’s hard to sweep and this is a great basketball team,” Liberty point guard Courtney Vandersloot said. “And so we’re not panicking by any means. We know that we have to make adjustments and just rely on what we’ve done all season.”
The Liberty were hurt by guards Jackie Young (24 points), Kelsey Plum (20) and Chelsea Gray (10 points, seven assists) and MVP A’ja Wilson (19 points, 14 rebounds).
Las Vegas led by three at halftime before outscoring the Liberty 21-6 in the third quarter. The Aces put together a 16-0 run to take a 73-53 lead and held the Liberty scoreless for 7:36. The Liberty shot 2-for-14 and committed seven turnovers in the quarter.
It was 73-55 after three quarters, and the margin then swelled to 25.
“I thought that was probably our most complete game of the season,” Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said.
The Aces displayed their urgency and they were back home. “They’re going to be aggressive,” Breanna Stewart said. “They’re going to use their fans. They’re going to use the momentum behind it. And I think we just didn’t come ready for all that.”
Here was another large factor: The Aces wanted to make Sabrina Ionescu uncomfortable. They pressured her and tried not to let her drive. She shot 1-for-7 and scored four points — none until the fourth.
“A-plus,” Hammon said, grading the defensive effort.
Ionescu had been averaging 24.5 points per game in the playoffs. “For us, she has just got to continue to trust that we’ll get the ball back to her and take the ones that are open,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “ . . . But she’ll be fine.”
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