Game 1 of the WNBA Finals didn’t go as planned for the No. 2 seed New York Liberty, at least in the second half. Despite holding a three-point lead at halftime, the No. 1 seed Las Vegas Aces erupted in the third quarter, outscoring the Liberty 26-16. Vegas dominated the second half, taking Game 1 99-82.
It certainly was a game New York would like to forget. But with Game 2 tonight (9 p.m. ET; ESPN), how can the Liberty even the series?
What went wrong?
The Liberty’s guards were absolutely dominated by Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum. The New York backcourt of Ionescu, Vandersloot and Laney were outscored 72-28 by the Vegas backcourt of Gray, Plum, and Jackie Young. That 44-point difference could have looked a lot worse if not for Marine Johannès’ fantastic shooting performance in the first half.
Ionescu and Vandersloot have to be more aggressive hunting for their shots. There were moments in the second half where Vandersloot was not even looking for her shot, which puts a ceiling on the New York offense and limits everyone else on the court.
After the game, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello spoke about the team’s backcourt struggles, saying, “Our guards they just had a little bit of a tough night,…
