Liberty Vanquish Vegas, Earn 2nd Straight WNBA Finals Berth

The New York Liberty beat the house in Sin City.

Behind dominant performances from the headlining trio of Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart, New York punched its ticket to its second consecutive WNBA Finals with a 76-62 victory to close out the semifinal set at Michelob Ultra Arena on Sunday late afternoon.

Ionescu had 22 points built mostly on a 5-of-8 effort from three-point range while Stewart picked up a 19-point, 14-rebound double-double. Jones likewise sank a trio of triples as the Liberty moves onto its second consecutive Finals and ties an Association record with its sixth appearance overall. In further history, the Liberty ended Las Vegas’ 12-playoff game winning streak at home.

New York completed its vengeance by scoring 10 unanswered against the two-time defending champion Aces after an opening triple from the arms of Jackie Young. Despite Vegas cutting the lead to one on numerous occasions, the lead never switched hands after the early outpouring.

Thus ended thoughts of momentum switching hands after an ugly showing in Game 3, one that saw the Liberty lose control of a competitive contest by scoring only six points in the first period out of the intermission. With the momentum firmly in Sin City’s corner … and their stars supposedly heating up … the stage seemed set for the Aces to become just the third team to force a Game 5 after falling behind 2-0 in a WNBA playoff series.

Ionescu, the Liberty’s most consistent scorer over the first two rounds, delayed the concept: held scoreless in the first three periods of Game 3, Ionescu had little, if any, issue surpassing her meager tally of four points from the prior, as she paced the Liberty’s early 23-point onslaught with a dozen alone in the opening stanza, the 12 earned on a perfect 4-of-4 mark from the field.

The rest of the team joined Ionescu in the realm of redemption with a brilliant fourth quarter: both sides struggled in the third, a sluggish period that appeared to end with Young doing her best Teresa Weatherspoon imitation by launching a three-pointer from beyond the midcourt logo. Young’s would-be heroics appeared to give Las Vegas a 16-12 win in the period and a 54-53 lead, but quick consultation with the replay monitor confirmed that the ball was still in her hands when the buzzer sounded.

One last exclusive one-sided run, however, sealed the deal: after a Kelsey Plum double shrank the Liberty lead to four with 7:54 remaining, Courtney Vandersloot’s responding layup on the very next possession commenced a Liberty run of 12 unanswered to build an impenetrable 16-point lead. Ionescu appropriately served as the dealer of the double-figure dagger, as her fifth and final triple ensured the lead never fell below 10 over the last 5:50.

Elsewhere in the box score, Jones and Leonie Fiebich managed to impress despite spending most of the game in foul trouble. Fiebich, the rookie sensation that remains stationed in the Liberty starting five, had 11 points and seven rebounds while helping New York go plus-28 on the scoreboard when she was on the floor. New York also won the points in the paint battle 30-28 after losing by 20 in Game 3 while they held a plus-21 advantage on the glass (including a plus-9 output on second chances alone).

Thus ends the Aces’ attempt to become the first winner of three consecutive WNBA tiles since the defunct Houston Comets earned the original four from 1997 through 2000. The latter of the back-to-back titles was earned against the Liberty last season, with the trophy hoist staged at Barclays Center.

Unanimous WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson held one more showcase for her adoring public, picking up a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double while rejecting five Liberty shots with authority.

The Liberty will now face the winner of the other semifinal between Connecticut and Minnesota, with Game 1 slated for Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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