Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images
Ionescu led the way with 22 points, Breanna Stewart added 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists, and the New York Liberty eliminate A’ja Wilson and the Aces in Game 4.
One year after a heartbreaking loss in the WNBA Finals, the New York Liberty emerged victorious, beating the Las Vegas Aces 76-62 to advance to the WNBA Finals. The win guarantees their second-consecutive Finals appearance — and ends the Aces’ chances for the elusive three-peat. New York had won the first two games at home to take a resounding 2-0 lead in the series, but dropped Game 3 on Friday night.
On Sunday afternoon, the Liberty seemed recharged, jumping out to an early lead behind 12 first-quarter points from Sabrina Ionescu, who struggled mightily in Game. Ionescu hit her first three three-pointers, and finished the afternoon with a game-high 22 points on 7-14 shooting, including 5-8 from three.
New York held a 3-point lead at the half, and a 2-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but they began the final period on an 18-5 run to take control of the game — and of their destiny in this series. The final period began with back-to-back layups by Ionescu and Leonie Fiebich (11 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists), and included three-pointers by Ionescu and Jonquel Jones (14 points, 6 rebounds).
On the Aces side, a tumultuous season comes to a close at the hands of the same team they defeated in the Finals last season.
From the beginning, Las Vegas acknowledged that this was a much-improved Liberty team from last season. They dropped their first two games of the series before responding with a resounding Game 3 win — but ran out of steam in Game 4.
“New York is a lot better than they were last year, plain and simple,” Kelsey Plum said ahead of the semi-finals match-up. “If you go down the line, like pound for pound, individually — all of them are better.”
In Game 4, A’ja Wilson led the way with 19 points on 7-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Kelsey Plum added 17, but shot just 5-19 from the field, while Tiffany Hayes scored 11 off the bench. Jackie Young, who had an outstanding Game 3, shot just 1-10 from the field for 4 points.
The Liberty will host the winner of the series between the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx, with Game 1 of the Finals scheduled for Thursday at 8pm ET at Barclay’s Center. The Lynx lead the Sun 2-1 in the semi-finals, with Game 4 currently underway.
This is New York’s sixth Finals appearance, but the franchise is one of a handful to never win a WNBA championship. Later this week, they’ll get the chance to compete for one again.
