Sabrina, Second Unit Send Liberty To Las Vegas Up 2-0

It was far from easy, but the New York Liberty took a vital 2-0 lead in their best-of-five semifinal set against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.

Sep 29, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts during game one of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals against the Las Vegas Aces at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

BROOKLYN-On the halfway point to the New York Liberty's potential first championship, Sabrina Ionescu saved the best for last.

Ionescu's fantastic fourth paved the way to a major Liberty victory over the Las Vegas Aces, as they eked out an 88-84 decision at Barclays Center on Tuesday night. The win in Game 2 of the best-of-five semifinal series is the the fourth of eight wins necessary for a championship and one that gave a 2-0 series lead.

En route to a team-best 24 points, Ionescu had 11 in the final period, accounting for all but eight in the last 10 minutes. including a thrilling stretch of seven in a row that gave New York the necessary edge. Her pullup jumper with 1:15 remaining gave the Liberty a lead that proved permanent before she sank one more at the foul line to help create the final margin.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

In front of a raucous Brooklyn crowd of 14,321 that included Alicia Keys (who visited the winning locker room in the aftermath), New York and Las Vegas played an instant classic that saw neither team go up by more than five at any point over the last six minutes. Those gathered hardly had a chance to catch their breath: from the 5:18 mark until there were 11 seconds remaining, neither team took a timeout, leaving them on the floor rather than in the huddle.

The most prominent headliners lived up to their billing in that span: unanimous MVP A'ja Wilson countered Ionescu's final period mastery with a dozen points of her own, half of her own 24-point output.

Thrust into the starting five, Alysha Clark had 13 points, including an equalizing triple that necessitated Ionescu's heroics. The Liberty were officially allowed to start the countdown to jubilation when their own new starter, Leonie Fiebich, used her length to force a Chelsea Gray inbounds pass off Kelsey Plum that put late possession in the Liberty's hands after a challenge from head coach Sandy Brondello, her second of the day.

Elsewhere in the New York box score, Jonquel Jones had 14 with eight rebounds while Breanna Stewart flirted with a triple-double at 15, eight assists, and seven boards. Despite allowing a season-worst 18 second-chance points, New York also beat out Vegas in the paint by a 44-24 tally. Amidst the victory, Jones set a new Liberty franchise record by passing Vickie Johnson's mark of 153 rebounds, needing only 14 showings to do so.

The path to the final thrills was set up by the Liberty's second unit, as Courtney Vandersloot (12) and Kayla Thornton (9) united for 21 points on a combined 9-of-12 from the field. The veteran duo's prowess on both sides of the ball helped the Liberty weather the storm when Las Vegas went up by eight in the penultimate minute of the first.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

Behind their efforts, as well as an early crackdown on Wilson (who took only four shots from the field in the first half, a season-low in any half this year), the Liberty wound up turning that deficit into a six-point lead by halftime.

Five Nevadans reached double-figures in defeat, but the Liberty knew when to shut them down when it mattered: beyond the regular brilliance from Wilson (6-of-9 over the final 10), the Aces hit just one shot from the field in the period on nine tries, the exception being Clark's game-tying mastery.

The Liberty have a chance to earn a sweep and their record-tying sixth WNBA Finals appearance on Friday night when the series shifts to Sin City (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

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