Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) drives on the New York Liberty’s center Jonquel Jones (left) and guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) in the first half at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Thu Jul 30,2026 (AP News photo)

By Rich Perez

The Las Vegas Aces (20-8) took on the New York Liberty (16-13) in was a highly competitive game between the two rivals. The Aces got a grip on Liberty with a 104-99 win at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

The Aces came out on fire with Jackie Young leading the charge hitting 22 points in the first half.

They took a 52-44 lead into the half and would need more of the same in the third quarter. The Liberty made some needed adjustments in the second half still unable to take the lead but getting to within a single point.

When it got so very close, the Aces pushed back taking a 70-61 lead with 3:25 left in the third. With a lot of time left on the clock this game was still up for grabs. A’Ja Wilson came alive in the third quarter scoring 18 points finishing with 28 through three quarters giving Las Vegas a 79-71 lead going into the fourth.

The final quarter was a wild one with the Aces coming out on top 104-99. There were some key plays down the stretch for Las Vegas and a little bit of luck thrown in as well.

GAME RECAP

The Liberty got off to a great start in the early minutes of the first quarter but the Aces came roaring back with Jackie Young taking charge. After less than four minutes into the quarter Young was on a heater leading the comeback rally giving the Aces a 14-12 lead. She demonstrated her ability to hit three-point shots going 3 of 3.

As the opening quarter wore on this game was off the charts competitive with the lead changing back and forth throughout. After the first ten minutes of play Las Vegas was hanging onto a 27-26 lead.

Las Vegas continued to fight back in an effort to push out their lead in the second quarter. Jackie Young had an incredible quarter scoring 22 points in the first half. She was on fire and the Liberty were unable to extinguish that fire.

A’Ja Wilson also had double digits in the first half but it was Young who had the hot hand. At the half the Aces had created a 52-44 lead. It was Las Vegas who was dictating the pace taking more and more control of this game throughout the second quarter.

The Aces hit 8 shots from downtown in the first half while the Liberty only hit four. Las Vegas had put themselves in a strong position although an eight point lead is not a safe lead against a team with the likes of Breanna Steward and Sabrina Ionescu aboard. Second-chance points could swing this game in the second half.

New York could not afford to give the Aces extra possessions. If Steward and Ionescu really get going attacking the paint then the Aces would have to work a lot harder getting open shots and they cannot have any sort of breakdown. We will for sure see some major adjustments from the Liberty and how the Aces handle that could very well determine the winner of this game.

There were fireworks in the first half of this game and the third quarter displayed more fireworks. After the Aces had pushed their lead out to 54-44, the Liberty pushed back and two minutes into the quarter New York was trailing by only four points 58-54.

The Liberty had even more energy than in the first half and they were making a real push in a one-possession ball-game four minutes into the quarter. Las Vegas needed to regain the energy they had in the first half.

The Aces were in foul trouble with Chelsea Gray and Nalyssa Smith both with four personals. A’Ja Wilson had hit 18 points in the quarter with 30 seconds left in the clock. Going into the fourth quarter Las Vegas had a 79-71 lead and they would need to continue to elevate their play to finish off this game.

The Aces started off the fourth quarter stripping the ball from Breanna Stewart and the race was on. After taking a ten-point lead the Liberty cut the Aces lead in half. They were not going down without a fight.

Despite getting close the Liberty had still been unable to take the lead although threatening throughout the fourth quarter. Both teams were coming away with empty possessions with 3:36 remaining in the game.

Las Vegas was still clinging to a 92-87 lead. It was crunch time in the final two minutes of the game with Las Vegas taking a 98-93 lead with 55 ticks left on the clock. Chelsea Gray fouled out with 20 seconds left in the game giving Ionescu a couple of free throws.

She made both but the Aces got a huge break when the officials missed a call that would have given the Liberty the ball trailing by 3 points with ample time to tie up this game. Las Vegas went on to win the game 104-99.

GAME NOTES

It was a wild game for Las Vegas. Both teams played their hearts out this game going down to the wire. An unfortunate break late in the fourth quarter for New York occurred when the officials missed a call that solidified the 104-99 win for the Aces.

A’Ja Wilson found her groove in the second half finishing with 33 points and 10 rebounds, a double double. Jackie Young had 29 points and Chelsea Gray finished with 16 points before fouling out.

This was an outstanding game for both teams and it was unfortunate when the officials, all three of them, missed a critical call that hurt the Liberty when they would have had then opportunity to at least tie up this game.

Not to diminish the Las Vegas effort but the bottom line is that these officials really blew it in the closing seconds something that cannot happen in a game the caliber of this one.

Brenna Ionescu had the high for the Liberty with 26 points and 11 rebounds also with a double double and Pauline Astier chipping in 19 points.

The Aces will now head out on the road; their first stop in Chicago taking on the Sky. They will face some challenges on this road trip with stops in Atlanta, Indiana, Minnesota and finally finishing off the trip taking on the Liberty once again. They will take it one game at a time with their first road matchup Saturday in Chicago with tipoff scheduled for 10:00 AM.