Las Vegas Aces A’Ja Wilson (left) and owner Mark Davis (right) celebrate the Aces second consecutive championship with teammates at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn against the New York Liberty on Wed Oct 18, 2023 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
Against all odds the Las Vegas Aces won a back to back championship 70-69 at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. Despite playing behind the eight ball for most of the game they refused to give in. Every single player on the floor in this game was a part of this win. In the final possession Alysha Clark had the tough call guarding Breanna Stewart and she did not disappoint.
Wednesday evening the Las Vegas Aces (3-1) took on the New York Liberty (1-3) in game four of the WNBA championship series. The Aces dug deep as they faced their most daunting challenge in this game.
The shocking news for Las Vegas was the loss of not only starter point guard Chelsea Gray but also center Kiah Stokes both seen court side with boots and Stokes wearing not only a boot but walking with crutches.
It was a real blow for the Aces. They were so close to a back to back championship leading the series 2-1 but they were able to get over the hurdle. Gray’s absence on the court hurt since she has been a huge reason for their success this season and that was a real gut punch.
This is a tough bunch and the Aces had their core group step up. A’Ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young showed up big. Alysha Clark and Cayla George filled in on the starting roster.
Game 4 recap: There was a “hold your breath” moment in the early minutes of the first quarter. Jackie Young went down and remained down on the court for a bit but was apparently collecting herself.
A sigh of relief for Las Vegas as Young was able to get up albeit rubbing her left knee. Las Vegas could ill afford another injury. The Aces led early but the Liberty took the lead with under two minutes left in the first ten minutes 21-11.
The Aces defensive effort was almost palpable; they were trying with everything they could muster but they had some reckless turnovers that hurt them. Making things worse, A’Ja Wilson was on the bench with two personal fouls. The Liberty were creating chaos on the court and the Aces were having a lot of trouble handling New York. The Liberty led after one quarter 23-13.
The Aces continued to fight in the second quarter and cut the New York lead to four points 25-21. The Liberty came charging back and extended their lead to seven but Las Vegas would not be denied and five minutes into the quarter they trailed by a single basket 24-27.
The Aces pulled too within one point in the closing minutes but fell apart as the clock ran out missing four shots in a row with yet another turnover. The Liberty took a 39-30 lead into the locker room at the half.
Las Vegas won the second quarter by a single digit 17-16. They really had it going for a while in the second quarter but they would have to do it consistently in the second half. The Aces really cut down on the turnovers in the quarter with only two but they would need an even stronger offense if they hoped to get past a fully loaded Liberty team.
At halftime not a single Las Vegas player had double digits. They would need a whole lot more from Young and Plum who finished the first half with only five points apiece. The Liberty’s Betnijah Laney had 11 and Courtney Vandersloot had 12.
The Aces were able to contain the always dangerous Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones. They only managed 11 points between the three of them which was huge for the Aces. The key to a victory would be continued containment of Stewart, Ionescu and Jones as well as driving the basket for more points in the paint.
The Las Vegas Aces clawed their way into a winning third quarter 23-12 and leading 53-51 after three. They were one quarter away from a championship against all odds. The Aces went on a 16-2 run in the fourth quarter leading 60-53 but let that lead get away.
With 6:34 left in the game, the Las Vegas lead had dwindled to 60-58 and they had let the Liberty back into the game. With under five minutes left in the game it was all tied up at 62. The Aces started taking ill-advised shots and missing badly.
Las Vegas continued to fight through the fatigue which had to play a factor in this game and they had to take care of the basketball in the final three minutes. The Aces continued to keep B Stewart under wraps holding her to 3 of 17 shots.
With 41.7 left in the game Las Vegas had a 70-69 lead in a real nail-biter. With the 70-69 lead and 8.8 left on the clock the ball was in the hands of the Liberty. Clark had the unenviable task of guarding superstar Stewart and it was Clark who brought the championship home. The Aces had to call on every ounce of strength left in them in a most gritty performance.
After an amazing season the MVP Award went to Wilson who finished this game with another double double. She had 24 points and an amazing 16 rebounds. Young, George and Clark all finished with double digits. So now the Las Vegas Aces are Champions once again in this amazing dynasty.
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