An upset announced the beginning of the WNBA’s semifinal action on Sunday afternoon. After losing all four regular-season contests, the No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun defeated the No. 2 seed New York Liberty in Brooklyn, 78-63.
Out in Las Vegas, a competitive first half between the No. 4 seed Dallas Wings and No. 1 seed Las Vegas Aces turned into a rout, with the Aces rolling to the 97-83 win.
Sun eclipse Liberty with shutdown defense
Although the two MVP candidates—Breanna Stewart and Alyssa Thomas—took the top billing, Game 1 was a battle between two teams, with both scheming and strategizing to eliminate the other’s advantages.
Instantly, it was clear that Connecticut intended to make Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu fight for their offense. As Thomas stuck to Stewart, the Sun sent doubles at Ionescu, in addition to putting longer defenders in Rebecca Allen and DiJonai Carrington on her. In the first quarter, Ionescu did get loose for a pair of quick-trigger 3s, but Thomas was effective in shutting down Stewart, preventing her from…
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