Aces Get Tenacious to Stay Alive in WNBA Semifinals vs. Liberty

Until Friday night’s Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals, the Las Vegas Aces hadn’t been faced with an elimination game for three years.

The back-to-back defending champions also hadn’t won a game against the top-seeded New York Liberty all season, but with their backs against the wall, something had to change.

With league MVP A’ja Wilson on their side, plus skilled players such as Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young, the Aces can turn on the offense at any moment. Yet, one crucial piece in their scheme had been missing all season against New York, and the Aces finally turned it on — tenacious defense. That’s what won them Game 3, 95-81, and saved them from being swept and eliminated from the WNBA playoffs … for now.

“I think that was probably our most complete game of the season,” Aces coach Becky Hammon told reporters after the game. “The game I’ve been waiting for and believed that they had.”

Before Game 3, it seemed as if the Aces couldn’t find an answer for Sabrina Ionescu, who scored 21 points in Game 1 and 24 in Game 2. The Aces’ approach in Game 3 was to smother Ionescu wherever she tried to move. Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum shared responsibility for switching onto Ionescu no matter where she went. If she still slipped by and tried to operate close to the basket, 6-foot-4 Wilson was there to use her size advantage. The Aces banked on shutting down Ionescu and making anyone else score for New York. It worked, and they held Ionescu to four points on 1-for-7 shooting from the field, shutting her down and flustering the rest of the team with her.

“[The Aces] brought the physicality,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello told the media after the game. “They were more intentional about how they wanted to play. They were more connected than those other games. That’ll happen, because it was win or go home. They were more disruptive. They saw success, and that gave them more energy.”

The Aces also were able to make All-Star center Jonquel Jones a nonfactor. Playing without 6-3 center Kiah Stokes, who missed the game due to a concussion sustained in Game 2, the Aces lacked size. It was up to Wilson to draw fouls on the 6-6 Jones, force her out of the game, and make the Liberty scramble to cover her. It worked, as Jones had three fouls before halftime and was forced to sit out for a long stretch in the middle of the game. That’s when the Aces pounced.

Las Vegas won the pivotal third quarter, 21-6, thanks to that defense, and that won them the game. They were able to force a turnover on 13.8% of Liberty possessions, and held the Liberty to 34.6% shooting on on 2-point attempts. Liberty superstar Breanna Stewart was flustered. She tallied 19 points but shot 7-for-17 from the field.

No team in the 28-season history of the WNBA has recovered from being down 2-0 in a playoff series. With the series now at 2-1, the Aces are not safe yet. They still have another elimination game coming Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. ET on ABC TV). If they want to stay alive, they will have to play the same level of suffocation defense again in Game 4. The Liberty aren’t the kind of team that is likely to have two bad games in a row. They’ve only lost consecutive games once in 2024.

Another factor will surely be fatigue, as the Aces don’t have the depth the Liberty possess.

A’ja Wilson played every second of Friday night’s first half, only finally sitting midway through the third quarter. That was only because the Aces had surged to a commanding lead. Wilson will need to be at full strength to continue to bring the high level of defense necessary to beat this New York team.

ESPN’s Holly Rowe reported during Game 2 that Aces guard Jackie Young is fighting an undisclosed injury that has limited her effectiveness. If Stokes has a concussion, it’s unlikely she will be able to return by Sunday.

The champs will face elimination at least once more, and would make history if they win this series. But it will be the toughest challenge this superstar team has faced in three years.

Related: New York Liberty Look Even Stronger After Bold Lineup Maneuver

Related: Chelsea Gray is Powerful X-Factor for Las Vegas Aces