SABRINA IONESCU scored or assisted on almost every New York point in the fourth quarter, and she powered the host Liberty to an 88-84 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday and a 2-0 lead in the WNBA semifinals.
Ionescu finished with 24 points and nine rebounds for the Liberty, who will aim to sweep the best-of-five series on Friday in Las Vegas.
New York saw a second-half lead of as many as 10 points vanish, as Las Vegas pulled into an 81-81 tie with 91 seconds remaining in regulation when Alysha Clark connected on a 3-pointer. The Liberty endured a scoring drought of almost three minutes early in the fourth quarter to facilitate the Aces’ comeback.
However, after Clark tied the contest with the last of her 13 points, Ionescu answered with a pull-up jumper that gave New York the lead for good with 1:15 to go.
Ionescu was in on 16 of the Liberty’s 19 points in the final period, either scoring or feeding teammates.
New York’s Breanna Stewart finished with 15 points, a game-high eight assists and seven rebounds, contributing in other ways on an off-shooting night. Stewart went 0-for-5 from 3-point range and 5-for-15 from the floor overall, and the Liberty were 9-for-29 (31%) from beyond the arc.
Las Vegas shot 12-for-27 (44.4%) from long distance. Jackie Young set the pace, going 4-for-8 on 3-point attempts en route to 17 points, while Clark finished 3-for-7 from deep. Chelsea Gray, who scored 14 points, added two 3-pointers, and Kelsey Plum scored all six of her points from behind the 3-point arc.
The Aces’ outside shooting helped keep Las Vegas in striking distance amid a slow start from A’ja Wilson. The 2024 WNBA Most Valuable Player had just six points in the first half, but she came alive down the stretch to match Ionescu’s game-high 24 points.
Wilson added a team-high seven rebounds and scored 12 of her points in the fourth quarter, including a jumper with 5.8 seconds remaining that pulled Las Vegas within two points. The Aces could not force a turnover, however, and Stewart’s two late foul shots sealed New York’s fifth straight win over the two-time reigning WNBA champions dating back to the regular season.
LYNX STIFLE SUN IN GAME 2 TO EVEN SERIES
Courtney Williams scored 17 points to help the Minnesota Lynx beat the Connecticut Sun 77-70 in Game 2 on Tuesday night in Minneapolis to even their WNBA semifinal series.
Williams was one of three Lynx players to score in double figures as they tied the best-of-five series at 1-1. Alanna Smith scored 15 points and Kayla McBride added 11.
Minnesota won despite Napheesa Collier making a season-low three field goals. The WNBA Defensive Player of the Year finished with nine points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. For the Sun, who will host Game 3 of the series in Uncasville, Conn., on Friday, Alyssa Thomas had 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. DeWanna Bonner added 17 points, six rebounds and five steals, while Marina Mabrey had 15 points and DiJonai Carrington scored 14.
Connecticut had won seven straight games in Minnesota before this defeat.
The Sun led by a point early in the second quarter when Mabrey opened the frame with a 23-foot 3-pointer. But after the Lynx snatched the lead back thanks to an 8-2 run, Connecticut never tied the score again.
Williams powered an 11-4 run by the Lynx in the third, scoring nine points during that spurt that pushed the lead to 14 points with 2:10 remaining in the quarter.
Minnesota’s lead grew to 15, its largest advantage of the day, midway through the fourth quarter when Smith connected on a layup off an assist from Natisha Hiedeman. The Sun never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.
The Sun shot 36.4%from the floor while the Lynx shot 45.2%. Connecticut also made just five 3-pointers while Minnesota knocked down eight from deep range.
After missing the Sun’s previous two playoff games with an ankle injury, Tyasha Harris returned to the court but failed to score in seven minutes off the bench. — Reuters
