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Sabrina Ionescu scored only four points and the Freedom They couldn’t overcome a poor third quarter as they lost 95-81 to the Aces in Las Vegas on Friday night.
New York still has a 2-1 lead in the series.
Here are the conclusions…
-Both teams were in a very competitive game after the first half. The Aces were up by just three and there were 18 lead changes, the most in one half in WNBA playoff history. However, that all changed in the third quarter.
The combination of Las Vegas’ defense and poor shooting allowed the Aces to outscore New York 21-6 in the frame and they finished on a 17-2 run. At one point, the Liberty missed 12 shots in a row. New York was 2 of 13 (1-6 from three) and turned the ball over six times in the third quarter.
-That third quarter was enough for the Aces to pull away and build a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter and get their first win of the series, and their first win over the Liberty this season: New York swept the regular season. series.
-A big reason for the turnaround in Game 2 was Ionescu’s defense. After Liberty’s guard dropped 24 points (11 in the fourth quarter) to give New York a 2-0 series lead, Las Vegas wasn’t going to let her continue.
Ionescu did not score until making a free throw in the fourth quarter. She was 0-for-5 (0-for-1 from three) on shots before hitting a three to collect her first basket. His triple extended Ionescu’s streak of playoff games with at least one triple to 19 games.
Las Vegas threw in the lead defenders and made sure they doubled it and forced Ionescu to give the ball away and the other Liberty players just couldn’t keep up the pace they had in the first half.
Ionescu finished with four points on 1-of-7 shooting, five assists and five rebounds in 30 minutes.
–Jonquel Jones Getting into foul trouble didn’t help the Liberty. The New York center committed three fouls heading into the second half and quickly committed a fourth early in the third quarter. Without Jones on the court, New York had to play small or rely on Nyara Sabally who simply can’t stretch the floor like Jones does.
Jones finished with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, six rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes on the court.
Breanna Stewart (19 points), Jones (11) and Leonie Fiebich (10) were the only Liberty players to score in double figures.
–Aja Wilson She was a stunner in the first half as her team leaned on the WNBA MVP from the start. He played 20 minutes of the first half and led his team, with young jackie — with 13 points in the first two quarters. He didn’t get his first break, other than the halftime break, until there were 2:38 left in the third.
She was also a threat on the defensive end. No play encapsulated that defensive fervor than a Liberty 2-on-1 where New York couldn’t get a clean shot due to Wilson’s threat.
As the Aces’ defense kept Liberty from scoring much in the third quarter, Wilson got plenty of rest. He finished with 19 points, 8 of 14 shooting, 14 rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes on the court.
Young (22 points) led the team while Kelsey Plum (20), Chelsea Gray (10) and Tiffany Hayes (11) all scored in the double digits.
Game MVP: Aces Defense
It’s hard to pick just one player, but the entire Las Vegas unit did an incredible job forcing turnovers and throwing the Liberty out of their offensive flow by holding Ionescu scoreless until the fourth quarter.
They forced 12 turnovers and scored 13 points.
Highlights
What’s next?
The Liberty look to close out their semifinal round Sunday at 3 p.m. in Las Vegas for Game 4.