NEW YORK – The New York Liberty have had a year to think about what could have been. The super team of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot were brought together in 2023 for one reason: to bring home the first title in this basketball championship-starved city since the Knicks in 1973.
Before their semifinal playoff game Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces, the very team that dispatched the Liberty in four games in the Finals to win their second consecutive championship, the mood was serious. There were no pregame autographs with fans, no usual joking during the shootaround.
Ionescu declared the playoffs as “unfinished business.”
When asked, some Liberty players still felt the sting from missed opportunities, especially in the 70-69 Game 4 loss, after watching their opponent celebrate the ultimate goal on their court last season.
“They beat us last year in the Finals on our home court with two starters out,” Ionescu said. “They’ve kind of been there, done that, they’ve won multiple championships. They understand what it takes to win, and those teams are dangerous.”
Regular-season success aside (the Liberty beat Las Vegas in all three meetings this season), the raucous sellout crowd at the Barclays Center, especially filmmaker Spike Lee, ensured that the Aces reverted to their earlier-season struggles of poor shooting, sloppy play and consistent foul trouble.
Stewart scored 20 of her 34 points in the first half, Ionescu hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to finish with 21, and Jones added 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Liberty took a near wire-to-wire victory in Game 1 87-77.
Game 2 in the best-of-five series is Tuesday night in New York.
It was Stewart’s 35th straight playoff game scoring at least 10 or more points, passing Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie for the longest double-digit scoring streak in league postseason history.
New York built a 12-point lead in the first half thanks to terrific passing and outside shooting.
Vandersloot hit a three for her first field goal of the game to open the second half, and Stewart’s deep three capped off a 10-point run and gave New York its biggest lead at 66-44, leading to frustrated Aces coach Becky Hammon to call timeout. Las Vegas cut the lead to six on four occasions but could get no closer as Ionescu again sent the crowd into a frenzy when her 3-pointer with six minutes left gave New York an 81-68 cushion.
The Liberty also took advantage of some uncharacteristic defensive lapses by the Aces, leading to wide-open lanes and even more open 3-point shots, things the Aces will need to clean up in Game 2 if they are going to become the first sports team in 22 years to win three straight championships.
A’ja Wilson, the league’s Most Valuable Player, had 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. Kelsey Plum scored 24 points, and Jackie Young added 17 for the Aces, who shot 43 percent.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Breanna Stewart, NY Liberty handle Aces in WNBA semifinals
