In Game 1 of the WNBA semi-finals, the New York Liberty secured an 87-77 victory over the Las Vegas Aces. Breanna Stewart led the way for New York with 34 points, while Sabrina Ionescu contributed 21 points. Jonquel Jones also added a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Despite strong performances from the Aces’ Kelsey Plum, who scored 24 points, and A’ja Wilson with 21 points, the Liberty held firm. The next game in this best-of-five series is scheduled for Tuesday night in New York.
This matchup was a rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals, where the Aces defeated the Liberty in four games to win the championship. The Liberty, haunted by last season’s defeat, have used it as motivation throughout the current season.
This year, New York had the league’s best record and earned the top playoff seed, a reversal of last season when Las Vegas held the top spot and the Liberty faced a difficult Finals series on the road. New York has focused on reclaiming momentum and changing the narrative in this rematch.
New York took control of Game 1 early, with Stewart leading the charge. The Liberty ended the first quarter up 28-21, and despite the Aces closing the gap to three points midway through the second quarter, New York went on an 11-4 run to lead by 10 at halftime. Stewart dominated in the first half, scoring 20 points, and hitting eight of her 10 shots. Her play helped establish the Liberty’s dominance before the break.
In the third quarter, New York extended their lead to 62-44 after Stewart hit a three-pointer. However, the Aces responded with a 12-0 run to close the gap to six points. Courtney Vandersloot finally broke New York’s scoring drought with a layup, and the Liberty finished the quarter ahead by nine.
Las Vegas continued to fight back, but Sabrina Ionescu’s key three-pointer in the fourth quarter, followed by a gesture to courtside fan Spike Lee, helped seal the win for New York.
In the other semi-finals game on Sunday, the Connecticut Sun defeated the Minnesota Lynx 72-70. Marina Mabrey scored 20 points for Connecticut, while Alyssa Thomas added 17 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. Napheesa Collier led Minnesota with 19 points and nine rebounds, but despite a late push by the Lynx, the Sun held on for the win after some clutch plays from DeWanna Bonner and timely defensive stops.
