LAS VEGAS, NV. — The Las Vegas Aces saw their season come to a close after dropping Game 4 of the WNBA Semifinals to the New York Liberty, 76-62, on Sunday afternoon in Michelob ULTRA Arena. Played in front of their 26th straight sellout crowd, A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Kelsey Plum scored 17 and Tiffany Hayes chipped in 11 off the bench.
Sabrina Ionescu tallied a game-high 22 points for the Liberty.
The Aces shot 21 of 64 from the field (.328), and 7 of 30 from 3-point range (.233), while the Liberty made 28 of 71 (.394) overall and 10 of 24 (.417) from distance.
“It’s hard,” said Wilson, who had five blocked shots. “Everybody wants to beat you. You’re everybody’s Super Bowl. (The loss) sucks, it stings, but I’m very proud about the group that we had.”
The Liberty connected on 10 of their 11 free throw attempts, while the Aces, who made 82.8% of their free throws over the regular season, went 13 for 18 (.722) from the line.
The Liberty outrebounded the Aces 48-27, including 13-4 on the offensive glass.
The Liberty outscored the Aces 14-4 on second chances.
“We haven’t done anything yet,” said New York’s Breanna Stewart, who had 19 points and 14 rebounds. “This was a tough series, an emotional series for a number of different reasons. But we’re going to the finals and we’re hosting Game 1 and Game 2. We’re ready to go. Just the feeling of not (being) satisfied.”
On October 18, 2023, New York was eliminated in four games by the depleted Aces, prompting the team to transform this challenging experience into a motivating mission. The Liberty have consistently demonstrated their strength this season, finishing as the top team in the league and achieving a 6-1 record against Las Vegas, including playoff matches.
The Aces gave up just 8 points on 8 turnovers, while flipping New York’s 14 miscues into 14 points.
The Aces recorded their 26th straight home sellout game, dating to Game 1 of the 2023 WNBA Finals.
The Aces, whose record 12-game home playoff winning streak recently concluded, aimed to achieve further milestones in WNBA history. Last season, they became the first team since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001-02 to secure consecutive championships and were striving to be the first organization to win three consecutive titles since the Houston Comets achieved four in a row from 1997 to 2000.
Photo/NYLiberty/X
