WNBA Playoffs: Sabrina Ionescu and Liberty fend off Aces to take 2-0 series lead over defending champions

The Las Vegas Aces and reigning MVP A’ja Wilson may be in trouble.

Although Wilson kept the Aces in it throughout, it wasn’t enough to get past the New York Liberty on Tuesday night.

The Liberty, powered by another big performance from Breanna Stewart and a clutch finish from Sabrina Ionescu, fended off Wilson and the Aces on Tuesday night. They earned an 88-84 victory in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series at the Barclays Center in New York and are now on the cusp of a return trip to the WNBA Finals.

The Liberty, who rolled to a dominant victory in Game 1 of the series, now lead 2-0 in a rematch of last season’s WNBA Finals. WNBA teams are 18-0 in the postseason when they lead a series 2-0. The Aces, who have dominated the league in recent years and won back-to-back titles, are the first defending champions to go 2-0 in a WNBA playoff series.

Stewart, who dropped a game-high 34 points in Liberty’s Game 1 win, finished just short of a triple-double with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds while largely facilitating the Liberty’s offense through the first three quarters. Ionescu then took it the rest of the way, sealing the win in the final minutes. She dropped 11 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter and finished with nine rebounds while shooting 50% from the field.

After trailing for most of the game, the Aces stormed back to make it a game late in the fourth quarter. They tied the game several times in the final minutes, first after Alysha Clark hit a three-pointer with about 90 seconds left. That was the first time the game was tied since late in the second quarter.

Ionescu responded to put the Liberty ahead again with a perfectly contested 15-footer.

After some back-and-forth, the Liberty won a challenge on the other end after the ball went out of bounds off Aces guard Kelsey Plum, giving New York possession again with 10.5 seconds left. That led to Ionescu returning to the free-throw line to seal the four-point victory.

The Aces got off to a much better start after their struggles in Game 1, taking a slight lead after the first 10 minutes, thanks to 10 quick points from Chelsea Gray in the first quarter. That advantage did not last. The Liberty went up by six at halftime, thanks to a big 9-0 burst. The Liberty held Las Vegas to 13 points in that period.

While they fell back by 10 points almost immediately after the break, the Aces pulled away late in the third. They cut the deficit to four, and Jackie Young scored nine of her 17 points in the period to keep the Aves in it before their final push, which ultimately fell short.

Wilson led the Aces with 24 points and seven rebounds, making 11 of 18 from the field. Young added six rebounds and three assists to go with her 17 points, and Gray finished with 14 points and seven assists. Jonquel Jones added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Liberty to go, while Stewart’s and Ionescu’s combined for 39 points. Courtney Vandersloot added 12 points off the bench for New York.

Game 3 of the series is set for Friday night in Las Vegas. The Aces, who are trying to become the first team to win three straight championships since the Houston Comets did so early in the WNBA’s existence, will now have to pull off a historic comeback to keep that dream alive.

Otherwise, it will be the Liberty who head to the finals again in their quest for the franchise’s first championship.