Sabrina Ionescu scored 23 points, Breanna Stewart added 18, and Jonquel Jones had a double-double as the New York Liberty won 79-67 against the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday. This victory secured the Liberty’s fourth consecutive playoff appearance.
Ionescu made 9 of 21 shots, including 3 of 10 from beyond the arc, and grabbed six rebounds. New York (23-4) kept the top record in the league with this win, having previously defeated the Aces 90-82 on June 15. The Aces had beaten the Liberty in last season’s Finals to claim their second straight championship.
Stewart also had seven rebounds, and Jones contributed 10 points and a season-high 17 rebounds. Leonie Fiebich added 12 points and seven rebounds.
For Las Vegas (16-9), A’ja Wilson led with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Kelsey Plum scored 11 of her 13 points in the first quarter. Chelsea Gray totaled 13 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Plum hit all four of her shots, including two three-pointers, helping the Aces take a 28-24 lead after the first quarter. She also completed a three-point play to give Las Vegas an 11-point lead.
However, Ionescu scored a jumper and a three-pointer in the final 39 seconds of the first quarter, leading a 7-0 run to bring the Liberty within four. Ionescu had 12 points in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Kayla Thornton started the scoring with a turnaround jumper, and Ionescu added a three-pointer to put the Liberty ahead 29-28. New York extended the lead to eight with an Ionescu floater, but Alysha Clark’s basket cut the deficit to 42-36 at halftime.
The Aces started strong with 6 of 7 three-point shots but missed 11 in a row before halftime. New York held Las Vegas to just eight points in the second quarter.
Clark ended the Aces’ three-point drought with 3:52 left in the third quarter, pulling Las Vegas to within 50-47. Kennedy Burke hit a three-pointer, Ionescu scored off a rebound, and the Liberty held the Aces scoreless for the last 2:04 to take a 59-51 lead into the final quarter.
