The Las Vegas Aces hosted the New York Liberty in Game 4 of the semifinals. The Aces were able to avoid the sweep after dominating the Liberty in the second half of Game 3.
Kiah Stokes was ruled out for a second straight game due to a concussion, meaning Alysha Clark would start once again.
Game Recap
Jackie Young kicked things off with a three-pointer to get the Aces on the board. After that, Liberty went on a 10-0 run. Las Vegas had trouble scoring, missing ten straight shots which led to a scoring drought that lasted almost five minutes.
In Game 3, Sabrina Ionescu scored zero points through three quarters and finished with just four. That was not the case for Game 4. She had 12 points in the first quarter alone and did not miss a shot. It was no surprise that she was going to bounce back.
Las Vegas was able to cut the lead to 2 towards the end of the quarter until Breanna Stewart scored off her miss to make it a two-possession game. Chelsea Gray hit a three at the beginning of the second quarter to cut it to one.
Stewart answered with a three, then Plum came back and hit another three for the Aces. The Aces were starting to find their rhythm on offense, making for a competitive game. But then New York went on a 9-0 run to increase the lead to 10.
Both teams were dealing with foul trouble For the Liberty, Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fiebich each had three fouls in the first half. For the Aces, they were already over the limit with five minutes in the second quarter.
New York struggled to take care of the ball, committing seven turnovers in the first half. Las Vegas only had two, which was a good sign. They also ended the first half on an 11-2 run to cut it to 1.
The third quarter was competitive in the sense that neither team had any flow on the offensive end. New York shot 26.3 FG% and committed five turnovers. They also committed eight personal fouls, with Jones and Fiebich each picking up their fourth foul.
Even though the Liberty missed a lot of shots, the Aces failed to take advantage as they also missed some shots. They shot 33.3 FG% and did not make a three. They also left points at the free-throw line, going ⅝ in the third quarter.
The positives were they only committed three personal fouls and did not send New York to the free-throw line. They did turn the ball over four times, but New York only managed to score three points off the turnovers.
Despite the lack of offensive power, it felt as if the Aces had momentum. They almost took the lead to end the quarter after Young made a buzzer-beater three, but officials later confirmed she did not get the shot off in time.
Going into the fourth quarter, it was a two-point game. Despite the buzzer-beater by Young not counting, Las Vegas was in a position to take control of the game. But a quick 4-0 run by the Liberty forced Beck Hammon to call a timeout.
It would eventually become a 16-2 run as the Aces struggled on both ends of the floor. The same problems from Game 2 occurred where they allowed New York to blow by them and get easy layups. Plum made the team’s first field goal at the 7:54 mark, and from there that is when the scoring drought began.
The next field goal did not come until the 3:20 mark, which was a three by Plum. A’ja Wilson and Tiffany Hayes each hit a three afterward, but it was too late as the deficit was too big to overcome as time was not on their side.
The Liberty won the game 76-62 and eliminated the Aces. They will advance to the finals for the second straight year and sixth in franchise history. They will face the winner of the Sun-Lynx series. There will be a new WNBA champion.
Sabrina Ionescu finished with 22 points and seven rebounds. Breanna Stewart finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and for blocks. Jonquel Jones finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Leonie Fiebich finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
For the Aces, this is the first time in Becky Hammon’s tenure that they have lost a playoff series and not advanced to the finals. This is the first time since 2021 that the Aces were eliminated in the semifinals.
A’ja Wilson finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks. Kelsey Plum finished with 17 points and two steals. Tiffany Hayes finished with 11 points. Chelsea Gray led the team with six assists, followed by Clark with four.
Photo Courtesy: @nyliberty/X