Liberty top Aces 88-84 to take a 2-0 lead in the WNBA semifinals and put the champs on the brink
NEW YORK (AP) Sabrina Ionescu and her New York teammates downplayed being on the brink of knocking off the Aces. In their mind, they haven't accomplished anything yet.
Ionescu scored 24 points and the Liberty beat Las Vegas 88-84 on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.
“Being up 2-0 is great, but we haven’t won anything,” Ionescu said. “Everyone knows that. Did what we were supposed to do, protect home court. Win two at home. We're not patting ourselves on the back, talking how happy we are. We didn't come to win two games at home and be satisfied, we're a hungry group."
Game 3 is Friday night in Las Vegas, with the two-time defending champion Aces trying to avoid being beaten by the team they beat in the WNBA Finals last year.
“We protected home court. We want to go to Vegas,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “We play well on the road and they play great at home."
History is on New York's side.
No team has rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win a best-of-five playoff series in WNBA postseason history. Only Phoenix was able to force a Game 5 in 2018 against Seattle.
“It’s a series for a reason, there’s no championship won off two wins,” Aces forward Alysha Clark said. “I’ve had a lot of playoff experience where I’ve been up 2-0, down 2-0. The series is not over.”
The game was tied at 81 before Ionescu hit a jumper with 1:15 left to give New York a two-point lead. Both teams had chances before Ionescu fouled Tiffany Hayes with 16.9 seconds remaining off a jump ball.
Hayes hit the first of two free throws to make it a one-point game. New York secured the rebound and Ionescu got fouled with 11.6 seconds left and also only hit one free throw to make it 84-82.
Las Vegas had a chance to tie it, but the ball went out of bounds on the sideline with 10.5 to play and after New York challenged the call that it was the Aces' ball, the officials overturned the decision and gave the Liberty the ball.
Ionescu, who had seven of the Liberty's final nine points, then hit two free throws to make it a two-possession game.
“In the big moments she steps up, doesn’t shy away from the moments,” Liberty center Jonquel Jones said.
A'ja Wilson answered with a jumper with 5.6 left before Breanna Stewart hit two free throws less than a second later to seal the win.
“It was close down the stretch, but they made more plays then us,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said.
Hammon said after Game 1 that Tuesday's game was “do or die.”
“Did I say it was a must win? I was lying,” the coach said after Tuesday's game, laughing. “Trying to bring the drama.”
Stewart finished with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Wilson scored 24 points and Jackie Young added 17 for the Aces.
The Liberty led 69-62 heading into the final period before the Aces rallied behind Wilson to tie the game at 81 on Clark's 3-pointer with 1:31 left.
After a rough start in Game 1, the Aces jumped out to a 27-22 lead after the first quarter behind a strong opening 10 minutes from Chelsea Gray. She had just four points in the Game 1 loss and Hammon said she would have a discussion with her star guard. Gray responded by coming out aggressively with 10 points in the first 10 minutes.
The teams went back and forth and Las Vegas led 40-37 with 2:33 left in the half before Ionescu hit two 3-pointers sandwiched around a three-point play by Kayla Thornton to give New York the 46-40 advantage at the break, drawing loud cheers from the sellout crowd that included Carmelo Anthony, Alicia Keys, Robin Roberts, Colin Kaepernick and Gayle King.
Liberty great Teresa Weatherspoon was also in the crowd. She was fired by the Chicago Sky as their coach last week. She received a very loud ovation from the fans when she was shown on the video screen in the fourth quarter.
It's not just fans turning up to watch the series in person. Game 1 of the series drew an average viewership of 929,000 on TV. It was the most-viewed WNBA semifinal in 22 years.
The Aces lost center Kiah Stokes with 9.5 seconds left in the third quarter. She was chasing a loose ball out of bounds and went down hard to the ground after committing a loose ball foul. She was down for a few minutes before being helped back to the locker room. The team said she suffered a potential concussion.
“It’s a head injury right now,” Hammon said. “We’ll wait and see, I don’t have a lot of information for you. We’ll be monitoring her very closely.”
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
10:00 | Start of the 1st Quarter | |||
10:00 | Jump Ball: A'ja Wilson vs. Jonquel Jones. | |||
9:52 | +3 | Alysha Clark makes a 3-point jump shot from 25 feet out. A'ja Wilson with the assist. | 3-0 | |
9:43 | +3 | Betnijah Laney-Hamilton makes a 3-point jump shot from 27 feet out. Jonquel Jones with the assist. | 3-3 | |
8:59 | Jackie Young misses a 3-point jump shot from 27 feet out. | |||
8:59 | Jonquel Jones with a defensive rebound. | |||
8:45 | Offensive foul committed by Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. | |||
8:45 | Betnijah Laney-Hamilton with a turnover | |||
8:35 | Leonie Fiebich steals the ball from Jackie Young. | |||
8:23 | Personal foul committed by Kelsey Plum. | |||
8:16 | Jonquel Jones misses a 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out. | |||
8:16 | Betnijah Laney-Hamilton with an offensive rebound. | |||
8:13 | Personal foul committed by Kelsey Plum. | |||
8:07 | Leonie Fiebich misses a 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out. | |||
8:07 | Jonquel Jones with an offensive rebound. | |||
8:01 | Breanna Stewart misses a 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out. | |||
8:01 | A'ja Wilson with a defensive rebound. | |||
7:46 | +3 | Alysha Clark makes a 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out. Chelsea Gray with the assist. | 6-3 | |
7:32 | +2 | Sabrina Ionescu makes a layup. | 6-5 | |
7:18 | Offensive foul committed by Alysha Clark. | |||
7:18 | Alysha Clark with a turnover | |||
7:06 | +2 | Breanna Stewart makes a jump shot from 11 feet out. Sabrina Ionescu with the assist. | 6-7 | |
6:54 | +2 | Chelsea Gray makes a layup. Kelsey Plum with the assist. | 8-7 | |
6:41 | Personal foul committed by A'ja Wilson. | |||
6:34 | Personal foul committed by Chelsea Gray. | |||
6:25 | +2 | Breanna Stewart makes a jump shot from 8 feet out. | 8-9 | |
6:11 | A'ja Wilson misses a layup. | |||
6:11 | Jonquel Jones with a defensive rebound. | |||
5:56 | Jonquel Jones misses a jump shot from 22 feet out. | |||
5:56 | Alysha Clark with a defensive rebound. | |||
5:43 | +2 | Alysha Clark makes a layup. A'ja Wilson with the assist. | 10-9 | |
5:21 | Jackie Young blocks a Sabrina Ionescu 3-point jump shot from 24 feet out. | |||
5:21 | Sabrina Ionescu with an offensive rebound. | |||
5:19 | +3 | Betnijah Laney-Hamilton makes a 3-point jump shot from 27 feet out. Sabrina Ionescu with the assist. | 10-12 | |
5:04 | +3 | Chelsea Gray makes a 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out. Alysha Clark with the assist. | 13-12 | |
4:49 | Jonquel Jones with a turnover - Traveling | |||
4:49 | Official's timeout. | |||
4:49 | Substitution: Tiffany Hayes in for Kelsey Plum. | |||
4:49 | Substitution: Courtney Vandersloot in for Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. | |||
4:34 | Jackie Young misses a layup. | |||
4:34 | Aces with an offensive rebound. | |||
4:32 | Personal foul committed by Jonquel Jones. | |||
4:32 | +1 | Jackie Young makes free throw 1 of 1. | 14-12 | |
4:27 | +2 | Jackie Young makes a jump shot from 16 feet out. Tiffany Hayes with the assist. | 16-12 | |
4:27 | Shooting foul committed by Sabrina Ionescu. | |||
4:27 | Jackie Young misses free throw 1 of 1. | |||
4:27 | Breanna Stewart with a defensive rebound. | |||
4:09 | Sabrina Ionescu misses a 3-point jump shot from 24 feet out. | |||
4:09 | Jonquel Jones with an offensive rebound. | |||
4:04 | +2 | Jonquel Jones makes a layup. | 16-14 | |
3:45 | +3 | Jackie Young makes a 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out. Tiffany Hayes with the assist. | 19-14 | |
3:28 | Sabrina Ionescu misses a jump shot from 8 feet out. | |||
3:28 | A'ja Wilson with a defensive rebound. | |||
3:11 | Jackie Young misses a 3-point jump shot from 27 feet out. | |||
3:11 | Courtney Vandersloot with a defensive rebound. | |||
3:05 | +2 | Courtney Vandersloot makes a layup. | 19-16 | |
3:05 | Shooting foul committed by Tiffany Hayes. | |||
3:05 | Substitution: Betnijah Laney-Hamilton in for Leonie Fiebich. | |||
3:05 | Substitution: Sydney Colson in for Jackie Young. | |||
3:05 | Substitution: Kiah Stokes in for Alysha Clark. | |||
3:05 | Substitution: Kennedy Burke in for Jonquel Jones. | |||
3:05 | +1 | Courtney Vandersloot makes free throw 1 of 1. | 19-17 | |
2:51 | Tiffany Hayes misses a layup. | |||
2:51 | Kiah Stokes with an offensive rebound. | |||
2:44 | +2 | A'ja Wilson makes a jump shot from 16 feet out. Tiffany Hayes with the assist. | 21-17 | |
2:30 | +2 | Courtney Vandersloot makes a layup. | 21-19 | |
2:13 | +3 | Chelsea Gray makes a 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out. A'ja Wilson with the assist. | 24-19 | |
1:53 | Betnijah Laney-Hamilton misses a jump shot from 11 feet out. | |||
1:53 | Aces with a defensive rebound. | |||
1:37 | Shooting foul committed by Kennedy Burke. | |||
1:37 | Tiffany Hayes misses free throw 1 of 2. | |||
1:37 | Aces with an offensive rebound. | |||
1:37 | Substitution: Kayla Thornton in for Sabrina Ionescu. | |||
1:37 | +1 | Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 2 of 2. | 25-19 | |
1:26 | Kennedy Burke misses a jump shot from 18 feet out. | |||
1:26 | Chelsea Gray with a defensive rebound. | |||
1:08 | +2 | Chelsea Gray makes a jump shot from 18 feet out. | 27-19 | |
52.4 | Offensive foul committed by Kennedy Burke. | |||
52.4 | Kennedy Burke with a turnover | |||
52.4 | Substitution: Alysha Clark in for A'ja Wilson. | |||
45.2 | Courtney Vandersloot steals the ball from Sydney Colson. | |||
41.2 | +2 | Courtney Vandersloot makes a layup. | 27-21 | |
30.1 | Chelsea Gray misses a 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out. | |||
30.1 | Kennedy Burke with a defensive rebound. | |||
07.1 | Shooting foul committed by Tiffany Hayes. | |||
07.1 | +1 | Breanna Stewart makes free throw 1 of 2. | 27-22 | |
07.1 | Breanna Stewart misses free throw 2 of 2. | |||
07.1 | Kiah Stokes with a defensive rebound. | |||
01.5 | Sydney Colson misses a jump shot from 19 feet out. | |||
01.5 | Liberty with a defensive rebound. | |||
0.0 | End of the 1st Quarter |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
10:00 | Start of the 2nd Quarter | |||
9:47 | Sabrina Ionescu with a turnover - Bad Pass | |||
9:32 | Alysha Clark misses a 3-point jump shot from 23 feet out. | |||
9:32 | Sabrina Ionescu with a defensive rebound. | |||
9:23 | Personal foul committed by Kiah Stokes. | |||
9:08 | Sabrina Ionescu misses a jump shot from 20 feet out. | |||
9:08 | Kiah Stokes with a defensive rebound. | |||
8:57 | Alysha Clark misses a layup. | |||
8:57 | Sabrina Ionescu with a defensive rebound. | |||
8:48 | Betnijah Laney-Hamilton misses a 3-point jump shot from 24 feet out. | |||
8:48 | Jackie Young with a defensive rebound. | |||
8:39 | Jackie Young with a turnover - Traveling | |||
8:39 | Substitution: Breanna Stewart in for Kennedy Burke. | |||
8:24 | +2 | Jonquel Jones makes a layup. Breanna Stewart with the assist. | 27-24 | |
8:08 | Breanna Stewart steals the ball from Sydney Colson. | |||
8:03 | +2 | Kayla Thornton makes a layup. Breanna Stewart with the assist. | 27-26 | |
8:03 | Aces take a full timeout. | |||
8:03 | Substitution: A'ja Wilson in for Sydney Colson. | |||
8:03 | Substitution: Chelsea Gray in for Alysha Clark. | |||
7:43 | +2 | A'ja Wilson makes a jump shot from 7 feet out. Chelsea Gray with the assist. | 29-26 | |
7:24 | +2 | Kayla Thornton makes a layup. | 29-28 | |
7:21 | Aces take a full timeout. | |||
7:09 | Personal foul committed by Jonquel Jones. | |||
7:05 | Kelsey Plum with a turnover - Bad Pass | |||
6:56 | +2 | Kayla Thornton makes a layup. Breanna Stewart with the assist. | 29-30 | |
6:32 | Kelsey Plum with a turnover - Traveling | |||
6:32 | Substitution: Alysha Clark in for Kiah Stokes. | |||
6:07 | +2 | Betnijah Laney-Hamilton makes a layup. | 29-32 | |
5:56 | +2 | A'ja Wilson makes a layup. | 31-32 | |
5:43 | Breanna Stewart misses a 3-point jump shot from 27 feet out. | |||
5:43 | A'ja Wilson with a defensive rebound. | |||
5:31 | Jackie Young misses a layup. | |||
5:31 | Jackie Young with an offensive rebound. | |||
5:28 | Jackie Young misses a tip shot from 2 feet out. | |||
5:28 | Jonquel Jones with a defensive rebound. | |||
5:19 | A'ja Wilson steals the ball from Breanna Stewart. | |||
5:11 | Sabrina Ionescu steals the ball from Chelsea Gray. | |||
5:08 | Substitution: Leonie Fiebich in for Kayla Thornton. | |||
5:02 | Breanna Stewart misses a jump shot from 9 feet out. | |||
5:02 | Breanna Stewart with an offensive rebound. | |||
4:58 | +2 | Breanna Stewart makes a layup. | 31-34 | |
4:43 | +3 | Kelsey Plum makes a 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out. A'ja Wilson with the assist. | 34-34 | |
4:24 | Betnijah Laney-Hamilton misses a 3-point jump shot from 27 feet out. | |||
4:24 | Jackie Young with a defensive rebound. | |||
4:07 | Kelsey Plum misses a layup. | |||
4:07 | Breanna Stewart with a defensive rebound. | |||
3:57 | +3 | Leonie Fiebich makes a 3-point jump shot from 24 feet out. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton with the assist. | 34-37 | |
3:42 | Kelsey Plum misses a layup. | |||
3:42 | Liberty with a defensive rebound. | |||
3:42 | Liberty take a full timeout. | |||
3:42 | Substitution: Tiffany Hayes in for Jackie Young. | |||
3:42 | Substitution: Courtney Vandersloot in for Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. | |||
3:21 | Jonquel Jones with a turnover - 3 Second | |||
3:08 | Kelsey Plum misses a 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out. | |||
3:08 | Tiffany Hayes with an offensive rebound. | |||
3:01 | +3 | Tiffany Hayes makes a 3-point jump shot from 24 feet out. Chelsea Gray with the assist. | 37-37 | |
2:41 | Alysha Clark steals the ball from Breanna Stewart. | |||
2:35 | Tiffany Hayes misses a layup. | |||
2:35 | Tiffany Hayes with an offensive rebound. | |||
2:33 | +2 | Tiffany Hayes makes a layup. | 39-37 | |
2:33 | Shooting foul committed by Courtney Vandersloot. | |||
2:33 | Substitution: Kayla Thornton in for Jonquel Jones. | |||
2:33 | +1 | Tiffany Hayes makes free throw 1 of 1. | 40-37 | |
2:26 | Breanna Stewart misses a layup. | |||
2:26 | Tiffany Hayes with a defensive rebound. | |||
2:00 | Aces with a turnover: Shot Clock Turnover | |||
1:45 | +3 | Sabrina Ionescu makes a 3-point jump shot from 28 feet out. Breanna Stewart with the assist. | 40-40 | |
1:26 | Kelsey Plum misses a 3-point jump shot from 28 feet out. | |||
1:26 | Breanna Stewart with a defensive rebound. | |||
1:18 | +2 | Kayla Thornton makes a layup. Breanna Stewart with the assist. | 40-42 | |
1:15 | Shooting foul committed by A'ja Wilson. | |||
1:15 | +1 | Kayla Thornton makes free throw 1 of 1. | 40-43 | |
53.8 | Chelsea Gray with a turnover - Out of Bounds | |||
43.7 | +3 | Sabrina Ionescu makes a 3-point jump shot from 23 feet out. Courtney Vandersloot with the assist. | 40-46 | |
31.1 | Kelsey Plum with a turnover - Out of Bounds | |||
11.8 | Breanna Stewart misses a layup. | |||
11.8 | Kelsey Plum with a defensive rebound. | |||
01.2 | Chelsea Gray misses a 3-point jump shot from 27 feet out. | |||
01.2 | Breanna Stewart with a defensive rebound. | |||
0.0 | End of the 2nd Quarter | |||
7:21 | Aces take a full timeout. | |||
3:42 | Kelsey Plum misses a layup. |