Sabrina Ionescu, who scored just four points in Game 3, led the team with 20 points on Sunday, making five 3-pointers. (AP Photo/Ian Moll)
The Las Vegas Aces’ dream of winning a third straight WNBA championship has come to an end. Instead, the New York Liberty defeated the Aces 76-62 in Game 4 to advance to the WNBA Finals.
Liberty ended the Aces’ season in front of a raucous sellout crowd in Las Vegas, taking an early lead and never completely relinquishing it. The Aces played well in a physical matchup, but struggled to make shots despite looking great on the floor. The game was close until the third quarter, but New York pulled away and won by a landslide of 14 points.
Both teams got off to a slow start and struggled to score, with Liberty hitting 9 of 19 and the Aces hitting 6 of 19 in the first quarter. Jackie Young hit a three to get the Aces started, but Las Vegas wasn’t able to score again until midway through the quarter. Eventually both teams found their footing, the Aces gained momentum, and New York entered the second quarter with a 23-19 lead.
Sabrina Ionescu, who was held to just four points in Game 3, scored 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting (including three 3-pointers) in the first quarter.
Liberty, which had a lead of as many as 10 points in the second quarter, held on to its lead despite the push and pull from the Aces, closing to a one-point lead with one minute left in the first half. Despite taking the lead, Las Vegas was unable to put the ball in the net despite several attempts. Brianna Stewart made a layup to give Liberty a three point lead heading into the locker room.
In the third quarter, New York and Las Vegas maintained some holding pattern. Liberty had Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fibich in foul trouble early, forcing the team to adjust its approach. On the other hand, A’ja Wilson continued to display overwhelming defensive power. A huge block on Stewart prompted a chorus of “MVP” from the crowd.
Despite continuing to struggle to score, the Aces nearly took the lead late in the third quarter. Young made an incredible half-court buzzer-beating shot that was ultimately called back. Although he couldn’t make it in time, it was impressive.
Any momentum Young’s missed shot might have given the Aces didn’t hold up in the fourth quarter, as the team quickly fell behind by six points and Becky Hammon was forced to call a timeout just 71 seconds into the quarter. Ta. Stewart and Wilson exchanged big blocks, but Ionescu’s huge 3-pointer gave Liberty an 11-point lead, its largest of the game.
From there, New York closed the gap even further, sealing the victory and qualifying for the WNBA Finals for the second straight year. With the win, New York ended Las Vegas’ home playoff streak at 12.
