The New York Liberty held off a late comeback by the Aces to win the game 88-84 and take a commanding 2-0 series lead. The Aces are the first defending champs to go down 0-2 in a playoff series.
Game Recap
Kelsey Plum picked up two quick fouls, limiting her to just five minutes in the first quarter. Despite that, the Aces got off to a great start, going on a 9-2 run to lead by 5. New York shot 50% from the field, but the threes were not falling.
Las Vegas not only shot 58.8% from the field, but they were 62.5% from three. Chelsea Gray had 10 points in the quarter, followed by Alysha Clark with eight. Courtney Vandersloot was the first player off the bench and scored seven quick points.
New York’s offense was stagnant, in large part due to the Aces defense. But New York found themselves settling too much and scrambling to get a shot off. They were able to settle down and get things going in the second quarter, going on a 15-4 run to retake the lead.
It was a sloppy quarter for the Aces as they turnover the ball over eight times which turned into 16 Liberty points. Head coach Becky Hammon had to call two timeouts in less than a minute because she did not like seeing the Aces’ defensive effort. They allowed too many layups and managed to only score 13 points in the second quarter.
Tiffany Hayes went on a personal 6-0 run to retake the lead, but New York closed the second quarter on a 9-0 run. They only lead by six at the half, but it felt like a double-digit lead with the way the momentum shifted.
That six point lead would turn into a 10-point lead, which was the largest of the game. The Aces continued to cut into the lead, but too many miscues on defense allowed the Liberty to score points. New York’s defense also held A’ja Wilson to just 12 points through three quarters with just four field goal attempts in the first half.
Wilson would proceed to score 12 points in the fourth quarter as she put the team on her back to try and make a comeback. They would cut the lead to two thanks to a 6-0 run as New York started to force tough shots.
They would then cut it to one at the 2:53 mark, then eventually tie the game thanks to some quick points by Alysha Clark. That is when Sabrina Ionescu put the team on her back and scored the next seven points for the Liberty.
Aces missed some layups down the stretch and left points at the free throw. They still had a chance to tie the game, but Gray turned the ball over after ruling was overturned after the call was originally the ball last touching New York.
New York gained possession, so the Aces had to foul again. Breanna Stewart went to the line and made both free throws to make it a two possession game. Aces went back on the other end out of the timeout and attempted a three, but it hit the rim. They got an offensive board for one more attempt, but that also hit the rim as time expired.
Sabrina Ionescu led the Liberty with 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Breanna Stewart finished with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Jonquel Jones finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Courtney Vandersloot finished with 12 points, followed by Kayla Thorton with nine.
A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Jackie Young finished with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Chelsea Gray finished with 14 points, four rebounds and seven assists. Alysha Clark finished with 13 points, followed by Tiffany Hayes with 10.
Game 3 will take place on Friday, October 4 in Las Vegas. The game will air on ESPN2 and start at 9:30pm EST.
Photo Courtesy: @WNBA/X