BROOKLYN, NY — The Las Vegas Aces received 24 points from Kelsey Plum and 21 from A’ja Wilson, but never led in an 87-77 loss to the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the best-of-5 WNBA Semifinals. Jackie Young (17 points) was the only other Aces players to score in double figures.
Breanna Stewart scored 34 points to lead the charge for the Liberty.
New York began the game with a strong performance, leading 28-21 by the end of the first quarter. Las Vegas managed to narrow the gap to 37-34 with 4:11 remaining in the first half. However, New York responded with an 11-4 run to close the quarter, taking a 10-point advantage into halftime.
“I think I’ve just kind of grown from it, had a lot of time to reflect on it,” said Stewart, who was dealing with the death of her father-in-law from cancer right before last year’s series. “How I can be better. How to handle things collectively better. I don’t forget who I am and what I can do.
Stewart contributed significantly during this period, scoring 20 points in the first half, including six points during the decisive run. She recorded an impressive shooting percentage, making eight of her ten attempts in the opening half.
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This matchup was a rematch of last season’s WNBA Finals, in which the Aces secured victory in four games, including clinching the championship in New York. The Liberty have indicated that the loss left a lasting impact, which they have used as motivation throughout the current season. New York achieved the best record in the league this year and earned the top seed in the playoffs.
Last season, the Aces were also the No. 1 seed, requiring New York to compete in the first two games of the Finals on the road. The Liberty returned home trailing 0-2 and were unable to recover from that disadvantage.
The Aces shot 29 of 67 from the field (.433), and 7 of 25 from 3-point range (.280), while the Liberty made 30 of 61 (.492) overall and 8 of 19 (.421) from distance.
The Liberty scored 19 points off their 23 trips to the line and the Aces were 12 of 15 from the stripe.
The Liberty outscored the Aces 42-38 points in the paint, 11-7 on second chance points and 16-6 on the fast break.
New York outrebounded Las Vegas 31-22.
The Liberty’s Jonquel Jones notched the game’s only double-double with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Aces remain in the Big Apple for Game 2 of their Semifinal series against the Liberty on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Photo/NYLiberty/X