The New York Liberty are determined to win their first championship after narrowly missing out last year.
They took a significant step toward that goal when Sabrina Ionescu matched a franchise playoff record by scoring 36 points, leading the Liberty to a 91-82 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night. This win allows them to move on to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs.
“The ultimate goal is what it is. But, you know, it’s every single game is a championship game to get to that final goal,” Ionescu said. “And obviously our goal is to not lose at home.
So this was really important for us to come out, take these two and have a couple days off and kind of rest, recharge and get ready for whatever it is we’re going to play.”
Jonquel Jones contributed 20 points and 13 rebounds for the top-seeded Liberty, who swept the best-of-three series. They will now face Las Vegas in the next round, starting Sunday in New York.
The Aces defeated the Liberty in the WNBA Finals last season. “We have unfinished business,” Jones said.
The Liberty entered the fourth quarter with a one-point lead, and the game remained tight until Courtney Vandersloot’s layup put them ahead 75-72 with 5:41 remaining, starting a 12-2 run. Breanna Stewart added to this with an offensive tip-in, marking her first points since the second quarter.
Leonie Fiebich, who scored 21 points in the first game, then completed a three-point play to stretch the lead to 82-74 with 4:11 left. She followed up with a 3-pointer, giving New York a double-digit lead for the first time in the game.
“It had a little bit of everything,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said about the run.
Atlanta couldn’t come closer than seven points for the rest of the game.
“I don’t think it was anything they did different,” Rhyne Howard said about New York’s strong finish. “We fought pretty hard, laid it out there. Coach told us to not go home with any regrets and we did that.”
Allisha Gray and Howard did everything they could to avoid elimination. Gray scored 26 points, while Howard contributed 19 and made a key block on Breanna Stewart during a fast break in the third quarter.
“We watched it four or five times before we came in here (to the postgame presser),” Howard said with a smile.
Stewart praised Howard’s play, saying, “She timed it really well. She got the block. I got the win.”
Unlike Game 1, when New York dominated Atlanta, the Dream started strong with Gray leading the way. They were up 28-19, with Gray scoring 14 points in the first quarter, making all five of her shots, including four 3-pointers.
Atlanta led by 11 in the second quarter until Ionescu started hitting deep 3-pointers, helping the Liberty take a short 40-36 lead. However, the Dream ended the half with a 12-3 run to lead 48-43 at halftime.
Ionescu tied Cappie Pondexter for the most points scored by a Liberty player in the playoffs. Pondexter set the record in 2010 against the Dream. “I guess I should have had one more,” Ionescu said, laughing.
The game attracted another sellout crowd, featuring Olympian Gabby Thomas, singer Pharrell, and celebrities like Spike Lee and Whoopi Goldberg. Rapper Ja Rule performed during halftime.
Ionescu shared that she received a high five from Lee in the third quarter. “I felt like New York was injected into me. I was like, we’re winning this,” Ionescu said.
