Liberty one step closer to revenge as they put Aces on brink of elimination with Game 2 victory

Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News on Oct 1, 2024

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

NEW YORK — The Liberty are close to getting revenge.

They’ve put the Aces in the same position they were in during last year’s WNBA Finals: an 0-2 hole.

A deficit that’s nearly impossible to come out of.

A deficit that could require a miracle to come out of to continue the chase for an Aces three-peat.

And with the way the Liberty are performing, they could celebrate a series victory in their opponent’s arena — like the Aces did in 2023.

Tuesday’s 88-84 Game 2 victory over the Aces needed an all-out Liberty effort to stave off an A’ja Wilson takeover down the stretch.

She started with a 13-foot pull-up, then used a nice step-through to get a layup against stout defense. But Jonquel Jones followed up with a trey to put the Liberty up eight with eight minutes remaining.

Wilson, the 2024 MVP, went on to score six more, helping her team get within one point on two occasions.

Then in the final minutes, chaos ensued:

See-saw possessions, missed free throws and momentum-shifting baskets took place at Barclays Center.

With 1:31 remaining, Alysha Clark’s trey tied the game at 81. Sabrina Ionescu responded with a jumper that put her team back up by two. The teams spent the next moments trading misfires, including a Wilson attempt at the rim the looked like the tying bucket with 21 seconds remaining.

After a jump ball, Ionescu was called for a loose ball foul on Tiffany Hayes, who split the ensuing free throws. Ionescu then was fouled and split her own pair to push the Liberty lead to two with 11.1 seconds left in regulation.

Aces head coach Becky Hammon called timeout, drew up a play that never got a chance to be run due to Chelsea Gray’s errant pass. Officials reviewed the play, deeming the Aces touched the ball before it went out of bounds.

It put the game out of reach, leading to the Liberty knocking down clutch free throws in the end.

The fourth quarter felt like the final quarter of an elimination game. The Aces fought like their postseason lives depended on it. The same way the Liberty fought to stay alive in Game 4 of the finals last year.

The Libs came up on top this time, needing just one more win to return to the WNBA Finals. Ionescu and Wilson led their teams with 24 points apiece. Las Vegas’ Jackie Young scored 17 while Breanna Stewart poured in 15 for the Liberty.

The Aces on Tuesday night threw the first punch, an expected result with the Hammon’s team staring down an 0-2 deficit. Leading that charge was Gray, who scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the opening period. She was the likely candidate to jump-start the Aces after her Game 1 dud: four points and assists in 27 minutes of action.

Gray ended the period making a Liberty defender look silly on a crossover leading to a made jumper that helped her team to a 27-22 advantage.

“Vegas are gonna come out and throw a punch but we’ll throw some punches back,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello predicted pregame on Tuesday night.

The coach was right. They did punch back, needing just three minutes to turn the tide — thanks to three quick Kayla Thornton baskets — and regain the lead at the 6:54 mark of the second quarter.

Then on a fast break at 1:15 mark, Stewart pushed the ball and dished to Thornton, who got an and-1 layup on Wilson. After taking a hit from Wilson, Thornton tumbled, flipped and laid on the hardwood before draining the free throw.

The momentum flipped as well.

The same Gray that put on a show in the first quarter recorded her second turnover in the second quarter by losing the ball out of bounds. Ionescu then drained a 24-footer to extend the lead to six.

And the Aces’ best player in Game 1, Plum, capped her 1-for-5 shooting period by losing the ball out of bounds. Barclays Center erupted with each mistake that helped the Liberty win the second, 24-13. Minutes before halftime, Thornton’s easy drive to the lane forced Hammon to call timeout. The head coach quickly ripped her players, visibly angry at the lack of resistance her team started with.

The scolding didn’t work, and the Liberty entered halftime up, 46-40.

Then came the third period that saw both teams trade buckets. But it was Courtney Vandersloot‘s turn to play the star role. Her stretch in the period showed her effectiveness, even in a reduced reserve role.

She took advantage of a lax defense, rolled to the basket, received a pass from Jones and finished a wide-open layup. Two minutes later, she sized up Jackie Young on a fast break and blocked her layup attempt at the rim. The veteran put the icing on the cake with a trey that put her team up, 67-58.

The Liberty eventually entered the final period up seven. And they escaped with home-court advantage intact. A sweep would be the sweetest revenge after getting their hearts ripped out on their home floor in 2023.

They’ll go for it Friday night in Las Vegas.