Liberty hoist Commissioner’s Cup at Barclays

Make room in the trophy case!

The New York Liberty became the WNBA’s first-ever two-time champions of the Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday night before 15,112 Brooklyn basketball fanatics at Downtown’s Barclays Center.

Sabrina Ionescu scored 26 points, including the game-clinching dagger, and Breanna Stewart added 25 as the Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces, 93-85, for the league’s in-season tournament title.

“(An) injury or two isn’t going to diminish who I am,” beamed Ionescu, who battled a bad ankle and back this year before putting forth her best performance in New York’s biggest game of the season.

Though Stewart grabbed Most Valuable Player honors behind 9-of-16 shooting and 11 rebounds, Ionescu hit the shots that mattered most on a night the building was rocking from start to finish.

She capped a decisive 15-2 fourth-quarter run with a 26-footer off a feed from backcourt mate Pauline Astier before staving off the Aces’ bid for a last-second comeback by making an eye-popping 33-footer with 16.8 ticks showing on the clock.

“I always continued to have that belief in myself,” Ionescu added.

Playing without three-time league MVP A’ja Wilson due to an ankle injury, Vegas relied heavily on guard Jackie Young, who poured in a game-high 31 points.

The 6-foot dynamo had an opportunity to cut the deficit to three in the final minute but missed a contested layup before Ionescu settled matters.

“Unfortunately we fell short tonight,” Young lamented.

Stewart handed out four assists, blocked a pair of shots and picked up two steals for New York, which beat Vegas at Michelob ULTRA Arena for the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup title.

“To win our second one, it’s special to do it in Barclays with our fans,” noted Stewart, who became the first two-time MVP in Cup play to go with her two Finals and league MVPs.

“I’m just really proud of the mindset and the mentality of this team. We were going to do whatever it took to get this win,” she added 

Stewart also won the inaugural Cup title in 2021 as a member of the Seattle Storm.

Chennedy Carter scored 18 points off the bench for the Aces, who trailed 51-37 at intermission before Young’s second-half heroics gave them a chance to spoil the Liberty’s celebration.

“(I) thought she played phenomenal,” Vegas coach Becky Hammon said of Young. 

Astier finished with 15 points and Jonquel Jones added nine points and nine rebounds for the Liberty, who had lost four of their previous five and were coming off a 1-3 West Coast trip.

Though this game won’t count in the standings, the Liberty were in dire need of a boost.

Getting it in a marquee matchup between the teams that have won the last four WNBA titles made it even sweeter.

“Keep the faith and tables will turn at some point and that was tonight,” said Ionescu.

“You just can’t take these moments for granted,” added Liberty coach Chris DeMarco. “Obviously we have bigger goals this season, we want to win a WNBA championship. But this stuff matters too.” 

New York will open its regularly scheduled two-game homestand vs. Minnesota here on Friday.

Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.

The game will air exclusively on ION TV.

GIVE ME LIBERTY: The Liberty also played in the 2024 Cup final, but lost to Minnesota at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. before winning their only WNBA title against the Lynx later that year. … New York finished a perfect 7-0 in Cup play and raised $28,000 for The African American Policy Forum (AAPF). The Nets and Liberty Foundation will contribute an additional $10,000. … After hosting the Lynx, the Liberty will welcome Dallas to Barclays Center on Tuesday before embarking on a four-game road trip.