The Las Vegas Aces defeated the New York Liberty,104-76, in the second game of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.
The Aces now lead the best-of-five series 2-0.
It was total team domination as the Aces' largest lead was 32 points. The defending champions outplayed the Liberty in every facet of the game, led by A’ja Wilson’s 26 points and 15 rebounds.
The opening frame was a masterclass in ball movement and execution. The Liberty looked shaken and tentative from the jumpm as the Aces raced out to a 19-2 lead to start the game, scoring a WNBA record 38 points on 12 assists in the first quarter.
In the matchup of WNBA superteams, the Aces played like they are hellbent on becoming the first repeat WNBA champions since the Los Angeles Sparks won back-to-back titles from 2001-2002.
The shooting touch of Liberty guards Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot disappeared as they went a combined 1-11 in the first half and looked overmatched by Aces' guards Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum.
Ionescu and Vandersloot were consistently a step behind or caught overplaying the ball, leading to Aces back cut forays to the basket for easy layups, putting Liberty’s center Jonquel Jones in first-quarter foul trouble when she rotated late to contest shots at the rim.
Jones’ monster double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds kept the Liberty’s doors from being blown off before intermission as New York went into the locker room only trailing 52-44. Yet the Aces opened the second half with more of the same via a 17-3 run through the 4:40 mark of the third quarter that snatched the Liberty’s soul. NY managed a paltry 13 points in the third period, shooting 25% from the field and 31% from the 3-point line.
For a second consecutive game, the Aces outscored the Liberty by 20 points in the second half, even after New York went on a 14-6 run later in the fourth quarter. Breanna Stewart turned in an unimpressive performance with 14 points and 13 rebounds on 6-17 shooing, with only 6 points coming after halftime. Most Valuable Player runner-up Wilson has outplayed Stewart in the first two games of this finals series.
“We're going back to our home court, and we want to play well in front of our home fans, so I challenged them to be better because I know we are better," Coach Sandy Brondello said about the upcoming game.
The series moves to Brooklyn for a 3:00pm tip-off at Barclays Center on Sunday, Oct. 15.
