It took six tries but the Las Vegas Aces finally beat the New York Liberty for the first time this year. And now the Aces’ quest to three-peat remains alive.
Facing an elimination game Friday in the WNBA semifinals, the Aces scored 16 unanswered points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach in a 95-81 victory. The Aces led by as many as 25, marking the first time either team had reached a 20-point lead in the series.
After the game, the Aces insisted they aren’t getting too comfortable or confident — after all, the team is down 2-1 and faces another elimination game Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC). But Friday seemed like a potential turning point — the Aces finally cracked the code against the Liberty, limiting Sabrina Ionescu to four points and getting a better offensive night from their entire backcourt.
Friday’s games were all about momentum. In the earlier semifinal, Minnesota made a statement as well with a 90-81 road win over the Connecticut Sun — the Lynx’s second straight victory in the series — to move one win away from their first Finals appearance since 2017. Finding success on both ends of the floor, the Lynx led comfortably most of the game, including by double figures in much of the fourth quarter.
ESPN looks at how the Aces staved off elimination, how the…
