Ionescu sends Liberty to Vegas up 2-0

All-Star guard shines in dramatic win at Barclays

October 2, 2024 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Sabrina Ionescu roars with delight along with the Barclays Center crowd Tuesday during the Liberty's Game 2 win over Las Vegas. AP Photo by Frank Franklin II

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Sabrina Ionescu was anointed a “transformational player” upon entering the WNBA four years ago.

The New York Liberty’s All-Star guard and former first overall draft pick may just be transforming her franchise into a champion before our eyes.

Ionescu and the Liberty moved within one win of their second straight WNBA Finals appearance Tuesday night, holding off the defending two-time champion Las Vegas Aces, 88-84, before another sellout crowd of 14,321 at Downtown’s Barclays Center.

“Being up 2-0 is great, but we haven’t won anything,” Ionescu insisted despite helping New York take a historically commanding series lead.

“Everyone knows that. Did what we were supposed to do, protect home court. Win two at home,” she added.

With the Aces (0-2) desperate to head back to Las Vegas with a 1-1 split in this best-of-five series, Ionescu, heralded as the league’s next big thing after winning consecutive Wooden Awards as the best player in the nation at
the University of Oregon, flashed her greatness when it mattered most.

The 5-foot-11 playmaker the Liberty selected ahead of any player in the 2020 WNBA Draft buried half of her 18 shots, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range.

She also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, handed out five assists, picked up a steal and blocked a shot.

But Las Vegas, which trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half and was down six entering the fourth quarter, forged an 81-81 deadlock on Alysha Clark’s 3-pointer with 1:31 to play.

Ionescu, however, wasn’t interested in letting anyone else decide the outcome.

She calmly came down and hit a 15-foot pull-up off a feed from fellow All-Star Jonquel Jones to put New York ahead to stay before knocking down 3-of-4 free throws in the final minute of Game 2.

“In the big moments she steps up, doesn’t shy away from the moments,” Jones said of Ionescu.

The Aces, the league’s first back-to-back champion since the 2001-02 Los Angeles Sparks, had opportunities to tie, or even take the lead, as the final ticks went off the clock.

Reigning WNBA Most Valuable Player A’ja Wilson misfired on an 18-footer and a driving layup, and Chelsea Gray turned the ball over following a coach’s challenge by New York’s Sandy Brondello that allowed Breanna Stewart to sink two free throws with five seconds left to seal it.

Aces coach Becky Hammon will implore her team to get back in this semifinal series Friday night in Las Vegas. AP Photo by Frank Franklin II

After losing in four games to Vegas in last year’s WNBA Finals, the Liberty will be happy to head to Sin City with a 2-0 series lead.

No matter what they say about it.

“We’re not patting ourselves on the back, talking how happy we are,” revealed Ionescu, who is averaging team bests of 24.7 points, 6.3 assists and 2.0 steals during these playoffs.

“We didn’t come to win two games at home and be satisfied, we’re a hungry group,” she confessed.

Game 3 will be at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Friday night, and the Aces know already that no team has come back from a 2-0 deficit in the history of the WNBA semifinals.

Wilson finished with 24 points and Jackie Young added 17 for Vegas, which jumped out to a 27-22 lead after 10 minutes before New York reeled it in.

“It’s a series for a reason, there’s no championship won off two wins,” noted Clark, who finished with 13 points. “I’ve had a lot of playoff experience where I’ve been up 2-0, down 2-0. The series is not over.”

Stewart had 15 points and eight assists and Jones added 14 points and eight boards for the Liberty, who improved to 4-0 this postseason, including their two-game, first-round sweep of Washington.

New York also got a bench boost from future Hall of Fame point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go with four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot in 20 valuable minutes.

“We’ve all talked about Slooty now coming off the bench and we just thought that was the best thing for this team, and the best thing for her because now she’s playing with that second unit where we could get her downhill a little bit more,” Brondello said.

Vegas coach Becky Hammon, who insisted after Game 1 that it was do-or-die time for her team, backed off that stance following a loss in Game 2 as well.

“Did I say it was a must-win? I was lying,” she told the Associated Press. “Trying to bring the drama.”

Following two dramatic wins in Brooklyn, the Liberty will leave Barclays for the first time this postseason.

“We protected home court. We want to go to Vegas,” Brondello said. “We play well on the road and they play great at home.”

Game 3 will tip-off at 9:30 p.m. ET Friday. The game will be televised by espn2.

Courtney Vandersloot scored 12 points off the bench Tuesday as New York took a commanding 2-0 series lead on Las Vegas. AP Photo by Frank Franklin II

GIVE ME LIBERTY: Forward Kayla Thornton scored nine points off the bench, all in the second quarter, for New York. … After appearing courtside at the Liberty’s previous two playoff games, Brooklyn film director Spike Lee didn’t make it Tuesday. However, celebrity row did feature the likes of former Knick Carmelo Anthony, musician Alicia Keys, sports journalist Robin Roberts, ex-NFL quarterback and activist Colin Kaepernick and commentator Gayle King. “I was excited to see Alicia Keys, that was pretty cool so that excited me,” admitted Brondello. … The Aces may be without reserve center Kiah Stokes in Game 3. She suffered an apparent concussion in the waning seconds of the third quarter of Game 2. “It’s a head injury right now,” Hammon told the AP. “We’ll wait and see, I don’t have a lot of information for you. We’ll be monitoring her very closely.” … Minnesota evened the other semifinal series at 1-1 Tuesday night behind 17 points from Courtney Williams. The series will shift to Connecticut for Game 3 at Mohegan Sun Arena Friday at 7:30 p.m. … New York improved to 5-0 vs. Vegas since losing Game 4 of last year’s Finals to the Aces at Barclays Center. … Game 4, if necessary, will also be in Vegas Sunday. If there is a fifth and decisive game, it will be in Brooklyn on Tuesday.