The New York Liberty are heading back to the WNBA Finals for the second consecutive year after winning Game 4 against the Las Vegas Aces, 76-62, on Sunday afternoon.
The highly anticipated Game 4 was a must-win situation for the defending champion Aces, who were down 2-1 in the best-of-five semifinals. However, New York had a controlling fourth quarter in this game to secure the series for them. New York was led by guard Sabrina Ionescu, who scored 22 points with seven rebounds, and forward Breanna Stewart, who had a double-double, including 19 points and 14 rebounds.
The game got off to a fast pace right away on both ends of the court. Ionescu, who had struggled severely in Game 3, came out with a strong start, putting up 12 first-quarter points. Las Vegas was lacking offensively from the field, shooting just 31.6% from the field and a low 14.3% from the three-point line. At the end of the first quarter, New York was leading 23-19.
The Aces came out stronger to start the second quarter with two straight 3-pointers. The Liberty adjusted by tightening up their defense, not letting the Aces get easy looks from the perimeter. However, Liberty rookie Leonie Fiebich and center Jonquel Jones both got into foul trouble, picking up their third fouls of the game in just the second quarter. They both headed to the bench, which took a toll on New York’s defense, allowing the Aces to go on a 7-2 run to end the half. After going down ten points earlier in the second quarter, Las Vegas managed to come back and were only down 41-38 at halftime.
The third quarter saw more foul trouble from Fiebich and Jones, who picked up their fourth fouls early in the quarter. Jones was playing too aggressively defending A’Ja Wilson, and it led to her being benched again. New York had five turnovers and the Aces were capitalizing on that, getting back to their basket for multiple fast-break points. Despite the Aces still struggling from the perimeter, they managed to get to the foul line many times in that third quarter, keeping them in the game and just down two points at the end of the quarter.
The Liberty took over in the fourth quarter. With two defensive blocks by Stewart and a big statement 3-pointer by Ionescu, New York eventually went up 64-53. New York continued to build on their lead, going on a 12-0 run, while the Aces had no response and could not convert anything offensively. Aces center Wilson ended the game with 19 points but didn’t see enough offensive involvement from her teammates to outscore New York. Fiebich was another x-factor for the Liberty, helping them dominate by putting up 6 points in that 4th quarter and continuing to be a defensive stopper. With Ionescu at the free throw line, she sunk two free throws to put New York up 76-62 and it sealed the win for them.
The Liberty will move on to the WNBA finals, where they will either face the Minnesota Lynx or Connecticut Sun, given the winner of that series.
