NEW YORK — In a fiercely competitive Aces vs Liberty semifinal series, the New York Liberty have put the Las Vegas Aces on the brink of elimination, securing an 88-84 win on Tuesday night to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Sabrina Ionescu led the charge with 24 points, including clutch free throws in the final seconds that sealed the victory at a sold-out Barclays Center.
The Liberty are now just one win away from advancing to the WNBA Finals, while the Aces, the reigning champions, are staring down an uphill battle. In WNBA history, no team has ever come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series.
Tuesday’s Aces vs Liberty matchup was intense from the start. After a tough Game 1 loss, Las Vegas came out strong behind Chelsea Gray, who scored 10 of her 15 points in the first quarter to give the Aces an early 27-22 lead. However, the Liberty fought back, with timely three-pointers from Ionescu and solid defense from Breanna Stewart, who finished the game with 15 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.
“We knew we had to withstand their early push,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “This is a championship team, and we expected a fight.”
Aces MVP A’ja Wilson did everything she could to keep her team in the game, scoring 24 points, while Jackie Young added 17. The Aces managed to tie the game at 81 late in the fourth quarter on a clutch three-pointer from Alysha Clark, but Ionescu’s go-ahead jumper with just over a minute left proved decisive. The Liberty’s defense held strong in the closing moments, and Ionescu’s free throws sealed the win.
One of the key moments in the Aces vs Liberty game came with just 10.5 seconds remaining, when a critical out-of-bounds call was overturned in favor of the Liberty. This gave New York possession and ended Las Vegas’s hopes of a comeback.
Now, the Liberty are poised to finish the job in Game 3 on Friday night in Las Vegas. As the Aces vs Liberty series continues, the Aces are facing elimination and must win to keep their hopes of a three-peat alive.
“We’re not done yet,” said Wilson. “We’ve faced tough situations before, and we’ll figure it out.”
Fans are eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the Aces vs Liberty rivalry, with Game 3 promising to be another epic battle in this high-stakes semifinal series.