Liberty top Aces in Game 1 of WNBA semifinals as Breanna Stewart leads way with 34 points

The Liberty arrived for Game 1 of Liberty-Las Vegas II on Sunday at Barclays Center looking to show that they weren’t the same group that got flattened in the first two games and fell in four in their WNBA Finals superteam showdown with the Aces last October.

“Everyone talks about the scar from last year, but [we want to show] really how much we’ve grown this season,” Breanna Stewart had said after Saturday’s practice.

They began this semifinal rematch with huge motivation, a lot of size and length, a deeper roster, the experience of going through that previous playoff run and improved chemistry. And they owned the home-court advantage, unlike last postseason.

The two-time defending champion Aces arrived with the same considerable Core Four — three-time MVP A’ja Wilson and the exceptional backcourt of Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.

But the top-seeded Liberty swept the three-game regular season series on their way to the league’s best record, and they struck first against fourth-seeded Las Vegas in the postseason. They never trailed on their way to an 87-77 semifinal win.

“We probably trust each other with the chemistry that we have,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said before Game 1. “We’ve been through everything. So it’s just remaining together. And I think that’s the biggest difference.”

Stewart made a big difference, posting 34 points and becoming the WNBA’s postseason career leader with 35 straight double-digit scoring games. Sabrina Ionescu added 21, and Jonquel Jones turned in a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

“We’re hungry,” Stewart said in an on-court TV interview afterward.

The Liberty will try to go up 2-0 Tuesday night at Barclays.

“I think they’ve played like the best team all year,” Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said.

The Aces didn’t get their edge back for a long while this season after their back-to-back titles.

“We really didn’t have it at the beginning of the year,” Hammon said. “I told them straight up, ‘It’s not good enough. The edge and the want-to isn’t there.’ We found it, though, I think at Dallas [on Aug. 27] when we lost and gave up a big lead in the fourth quarter. I think everybody had had enough at that point. And they flipped a switch.”

They won nine of their last 10 regular-season games, then swept two from Seattle in the opening round. It also helped throughout to have the ultra-talented 6-4 Wilson on their side.

“She’s the best player on the planet,” Plum said. “She could be a diva. She could be a brat. She could be a lot of different things. And she just chooses joy.”

She doesn’t usually spread much joy to the other team. Jones, who made the All-Defensive Second Team, had much of the duty against her in this game. Wilson, the scoring champ at a WNBA-record 26.9 points per game, finished with 21. Plum topped the Aces with 24 and Young contributed 17.

The Liberty's lead sat at 10 at halftime. Leonie Fiebich knocked down a three to start the third. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton followed with two free throws, and it was 15.

The margin hovered from 13 to 15 for a while. Stewart nailed a three to get it to 18 at 62-44. Hammon called for time.

Plum then made a pair of threes and Wilson drove for two. It was 62-52. And Brondello called for time.

Las Vegas made it a 12-0 run — 62-56.

The Liberty built it back up to 11 and carried a 71-62 advantage into the fourth.

It was down to eight with 7:50 left before Ionescu countered with a three. Ionescu added another three — straight on and 31 feet from the target. It was 81-68 with 6:20 on the clock.

It was down to eight twice more, the second time with 1:37 to go on Wilson’s baseline jumper. But Stewart then hit a floater off glass in the lane to make it 87-77, and that was it.

Back in the first quarter, the Liberty really had the touch. Their lead was 28-21 after 10 minutes. They ended up shooting 68.8% for the quarter, going 11-for-16.

But they were outscored 9-4 in the first 4:22 of the second quarter and the difference dwindled to 32-30. Brondello took a timeout. Stewart followed a three-point play. The Liberty went about rebuilding the lead.

Stewart went into halftime with 20 points on 8-for-10 from the floor, including 1-for-2 on threes, and 3-for-3 from the line. And the Liberty went into the locker room with a 48-38 advantage.