Breanna Stewart's blunt warning to Las Vegas Aces after using extra WNBA Playoff motivation

Breanna Stewart had a blunt warning to A'ja Wilson and the Aces after the New York Liberty took advantage of homecourt advantage and set the tone for their series against Las Vegas.

In a r ematch of the 2023 WNBA Finals , the Liberty took Game 1, 87-77, thanks to a stellar outing from Stewart. The 30-year-old star scored 34 points on 63 percent shooting from the field, to go along with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in the semifinal win.

As Stewart and the Liberty look to avenge their WNBA Finals loss last season, the star forward made sure to let the Aces know that New York was coming for Las Vegas' crown as the champions. In particular, the former champion made it clear what was going through her mind as she led the Liberty to a statement win.

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"I had a lot to make up for last year, and I want to continue to be great," Stewart said, outlining how the finals gave her extra motivation. "I appreciate you guys being here tonight, I want you guys to be here Tuesday and our fans to continue to put pressure on us to continue to be great."

Along with thanking the Liberty's fans for being supportive and showing out, Stewart shared a message that was reverberating throughout the locker room as New York looks to take Game 2 of its semifinal series. "We're hungry," she continued bluntly.

"We just want to continue to be better. We know tonight we got the win, but it's more than one win to win a series, so we're going to be ready on Tuesday." It wasn't just Stewart who led the way for the Liberty; star guard Sabrina Ionescu did her part to hold off a potential run from the Aces.

Holding a lead in the fourth quarter, it appeared as if the Aces were working to get the game back to a manageable number in a potential upset. However, Ionescu nailed a critical 3-pointer to essentially put the game out of reach for New York, ending any chances A'ja Wilson and Las Vegas had of doing any significant damage.

After the game, Ionescu spoke on the importance of the Liberty's defense stopping any Aces run, which ultimately led to her 3-pointer. "I think we handled their runs really well," she told reporters after the game . "We went on great runs, we had good leads and they came back.

"They went on runs and we were able to get some stops defensively and that allowed me to be able to see the 3-point line, see some shots go in and kind of try and kill their momentum. I think we stuck really well, continue to chip away. It's a long game and so I'm just proud of the way that we continue to fight on offense and defense."

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For her part, Stewart explained her dominant outing was a result of her playing within herself and not trying to do too much. "I just want to come out and set the tone," she said to reporters .

"Be aggressive, really take what the defense was giving me. They were switching a little bit. Sometimes, they weren't switching so I was able to get downhill, giving the post and I was confident when I'm shooting behind [the 3-point line]."

Game 2 of the Liberty's semifinal matchup with the Aces is on Tuesday, Oct. 1.