The Las Vegas Aces etched their name in the history book, beating the New York Liberty 70-69 to win the WNBA title, their second in a row. They are the first team to repeat as champs in 21 years.
Without 2022 Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, as well as Kiah Stokes, it took a championship effort from the six players who got significant playing time for the Aces to pull out the win. WNBA Finals MVP A’ja Wilson finished the night scoring 24 points and grabbing a whopping 16 rebounds. She produced at this MVP level without attempting a 3-point shot.
Cayla George, who only played a total seven minutes across the series’ first three games, took Stokes’ starting spot and played 30 minutes, scoring 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting while Jackie Young had a bounce-back game, scoring 16 points and dishing out seven assists.
New York was in control for most of the game and had a balanced attack with four of their five starters scoring in double figures. But the Aces executed just a bit better during the final minutes of crunch time, with Wilson scoring the winning basket with 1:27 left. The Liberty fell just short of a comeback after a Courtney Vandersloot jumper failed to go in as time expired.
Key moments
After the first half, a Game 5 seemed inevitable. New York weathered a couple of…
