Almost a year after watching the Las Vegas Aces celebrate a victory on their home court, the New York Liberty began to get revenge, taking Game 1 with an 87-77 win. WNBA Semi-finals.
From the beginning, Brianna Stewart and the Liberty team sent a clear message that this is a different Liberty team than last year. They were more experienced. They were excellent in person (see: Sabrina Ionescu). They were even taller (see: Leonie Fievich). And they were desperate to fix last year's Finals performance (see: Brianna Stewart).
They currently hold a 1-0 series lead over the two-time defending champion Aces.
In Sunday afternoon's matchup, it all started and ended with Brianna Stewart. Stewart finished the game with 34 points on 12-for-19 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
“I'm just trying to use my versatility in different ways,” Stewart told Holly Rowe after the first half ended with a 20-point lead. “I'm trying to set a standard for myself and continue to be great.”
And Sabrina Ionescu exploded for 36 points against the Atlanta Dream, and had 21 points and five assists in Game 1 against the Aces.
Among the Aces, A'ja Wilson had 21 points (9-for-16 shooting), six rebounds and five assists, and continued to battle Jonquel Jones in the post all night. The six rebounds are tied for Wilson's lowest of the season.
“She ended up with 21 points, but overall we did a good job against her,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said after the game. “She had to work for every point she earned.”
“We're doing a very good job of executing our scouting reports,” Stewart added.
Kelsey Plum led the way with 24 points on 9-for-17 shooting and had a monster third quarter to hold off the Aces, scoring 12 straight points in Las Vegas.
But every time the Aces pushed, Liberty responded.
“We handled their runs really well,” Ionescu said.
Plum's performance was crucial in keeping Las Vegas in the lead in the second half — they trailed by as many as 18 points — but the rest of the guard cast was at least necessary for Vegas to get through the game. It was underperforming by the standards it would be held to be. Win this series.
Tiffany Hayes finished with just two points on 0-2 shooting, Chelsea Gray finished with just four points on 2-7 shooting, and Jackie Young finished with 17 points on 6-16 shooting.
“There's no doubt about Jackie.” [Young]Kelsey [Plum]chelsea [Gray] and chips [Tiffany Hayes] We need to play well in this series to win,” Aces head coach Becky Hammon said ahead of Game 1.
Young was aggressive but continued to struggle with his shot, hitting 2-of-7 from beyond the arc. Defensively, he was tasked with containing Ionescu, who continued to find his groove from beyond the arc and made 3 of 6 from deep.
“She's always responsible for the other team's best perimeter player, day and night. It's very tiring,” Hammon said of Young before the game. “Fatigue is actually all about shooting and explosiveness to the rim.”
After the game, Brianna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu both addressed the raucous Balcarri Center crowd.
“Come on out, we need you,” Sabrina Ionescu yelled as she left the floor, urging them to bring the same level of energy to Game 2 on Tuesday.
It's just one win, but it's a welcome sign for Liberty.
“We're hungry,” Stewart said in an exit interview. “We just want to keep getting better.”
Next is next
The Liberty will host the Aces again on Tuesday, October 1st at Barclays Center. The match will then return to Las Vegas, where the Aces will have the opportunity to play in front of their home crowd at Michelob Ultra Center.
