New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) takes the ball against the Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) at Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Sun Sep 8, 2024 (Las Vegas Aces photos)

By Barbara Mason

The Las Vegas Aces (22-13) came oh so close to beating the New York Liberty (29-6) despite the absence of the injured A’Ja Wilson. The Aces had trailed by as much as 20 points in the third quarter but turned this game around.

The Liberty won this game and this year’s series 75-71. The Aces Kelsey Plum had a great game scoring 25 points. Despite the loss, the was a sort of win for Las Vegas coming this close without their full starting roster. Some huge stars attended the game with Stephen Curry, Klay Thomas and Devin Booker on hand.

Game recap: It was a well-played first quarter of basketball from both teams. The Liberty after trailing by as much as eight points had a two point lead 26-24 after the first ten minutes of play. For the first time in a long time, the team was without A’Ja Wilson on the floor.

The last time she missed a game was back on August 3, 2019. A right lower leg injury suffered in their game against the Sun last Friday night sidelined her for Sunday’s game. Her 32 point per game average will be missed and this will be a tough one for Las Vegas.

After a very close first quarter, the Liberty began to flex their muscle extending their first quarter lead to 37-28 with an 8-0 run and 6:02 left in the second quarter. The Aces were missing a number of layups and against a team the caliber of the Liberty you cannot miss. The five turnovers in the second quarter did nothing to further their cause. At the half, the Liberty had established a 45-33 lead with a big-time second quarter.

At the half Kelsey Plum had ten points and Jackie Young had eight points for the Aces. The Liberty had taken over the points in the paint outscoring the Aces 20-8. This is where A’Ja Wilson excels. In the first quarter Las Vegas had eight assists setting up some great success from downtown but in the second quarter only one assist and the three’s began to fail.

The third quarter got underway with another Ace turnover. Las Vegas also trailed significantly when it came to rebounds. The Liberty had out-rebounded the Aces in the first half 22-12. Throughout the quarter the Liberty continued to push their lead and after three, they led 64-51.

New York’s Breanna Stewart had 21 points after three quarters and Jonquel Jones had 13. The Aces had very few offensive rebounds so far in this game with one quarter left. The starting roster of the Liberty is a collection of superstars making them pretty much unstoppable.

They are a well-oiled machine offensively and defensively. Las Vegas had a great start but unfortunately that began to wane throughout the second and third quarters. The confidence that they started the game with just disappeared, it went AWOL.

With under seven minutes left in the game, the Aces had pulled to within three points. The defending champions had rallied in the absence of A’Ja Wilson pulling it all together giving the Liberty a whole lot to worry about.

With under four minutes left in the game, Las Vegas made it a one point game trailing 65-66. This game had turned into a real nail-biter and with under two minutes the Liberty were clinging onto the lead 70-68.

With 1:54 left in the game, Las Vegas took the lead 71-70. This was the Aces first lead since the first quarter. This game began to mirror their last game with the Sun where they trailed for most of the game and won it all in the final minute of play.

With 37 ticks left on the clock the Liberty had a one point lead 72-71. Unfortunately this game did not play out like their last game but they made an amazing comeback after trailing by as much as 20 points in the third quarter. Coming this close in the absence of Wilson was a win in itself for Las Vegas despite losing this game 75-71. They won the fourth quarter 20-11.

Game notes: With five games left in the 2024 season the Aces dropped a key game to the New York Liberty. They have been faced with some very challenging matchups. They beat the Connecticut Sun Friday night 72-67 and Sunday they faced the number one team in the WNBA, the Liberty and battled to a 75-71 loss in Brooklyn.

Their schedule does not get any easier facing the Indiana Fever twice playing them next Wednesday and Friday night. It is a really tough upcoming schedule but if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. The loss is a tough one against the Liberty but this Aces team is looking to move on in their next game against the Fever.

The Aces will remain on the road for their next game Wednesday night taking on Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. They will meet again in a second matchup on Friday night in Las Vegas. Tipoff Wednesday night is scheduled for 4:00 PM. It is not known if A’Ja Wilson will play in Indiana. The takeaway is that the Aces need Wilson healthy and at full strength for the upcoming playoffs.