IN NEW YORK – Four players, including Jonquel Jones, scored in double figures. Jones scored 18 of her 27 points in the first half as the New York Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces 87–73 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals in front of a loud, sold-out crowd at Barclays Center. The Liberty avoided elimination.
After the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001–2002, the Aces wanted to be the first team to win the WNBA title twice. But that will have to wait for another day.
Game 4 will take place in Brooklyn on Wednesday night. In the history of the WNBA, no team has ever come back from being down 2-0 in the Finals.
It was the Aces’ third loss at Barclays Center this season. They had lost by a score of 99–61 on August 6 and by a score of 94–85 three weeks later. It was also Vegas’s first loss in the playoffs after eight straight wins.
Jones made 10 of 15 shots from the field and 4 of 5 three-pointers. He also grabbed 8 boards, passed the ball 3 times, and blocked 3 shots. The league’s most valuable player, Breanna Stewart, scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Courtney Vandersloot had 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, and Betnijah Laney scored 12 points, grabbed three rebounds, and dished out two assists for the Liberty, who are still searching for their first WNBA title.
The coach of Liberty said of Jones, “She was huge for us.” “Those threes changed the game a little.” It went in. The ball wasn’t going in for us in other games. We got back to who we were. Happy with the work, dedication, and relationship we had. We need to do it again.”
New York had not won the WNBA Finals since Teresa Weatherspoon made a half-court shot in Game 2 to beat the Houston Comets in 1999. It was also the first Finals game to be held in New York since 2002. The Sparks beat New York in that match.
In the third quarter, New York took charge by scoring the first eight points and using a tough defense to make Las Vegas take bad shots as they tried to force fouls by slamming into the basket. Only 4 of 18 shots made by the Aces in the quarter went in. For the game, they only made 33% of their shots, including 7-19 from 3-point range.
Still, after two free throws by A’ja Wilson with 5:31 left, the Aces cut the lead to six points, but they couldn’t get any closer.
Las Vegas was led by Kelsey Plum, who scored 29 points. Wilson, who won defensive player of the year, scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Chelsea Gray added 11 points.
Gray got hurt in the fourth quarter and was seen leaving the game on crutches. Aces head coach Becky Hammon said she didn’t know what was going on with Gray and that she might not be able to play in Game 4.
Head coach Becky Hammon of the Aces said, “They played harder.” “I thought we were behind from the start.” Allow them to shine. We already knew they wouldn’t leave. This evening, they played rougher.We can do some things better if we feel like we need to get to guns faster. We messed up every single plan, I can tell you that.
Players who will play in the WNBA in 2023
The league named the All-WNBA first and second teams before the game. Three Aces players and two Liberty players were highlighted on the first team.
A group of 60 sportswriters and announcers from across the country chose Stewart, Wilson, and Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas for the first team without a single disagreement. Thomas came in second place, behind Stewart, for MVP, and Wilson came in third.
FIRST TEAM OF THE ALL-WNBA
- Breanna Stewart: New York Liberty: 60 first-place votes, 300 points
- Alyssa Thomas: 60 first-place votes and 300 points for Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun.
- A’ja Wilson: 60 first-place votes and 300 points for A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces.
- Napheesa Collier: 34 first-place votes and 236 points for Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx.
- Satou Sabally: 18 first-place votes and 186 points for Satou Sabally of the Dallas Wings.
ALSO, ALL-WNBA ON THE SECOND TEAM:
- Nneka Ogwumike: Los Angeles Sparks: 12 first-place votes, 168 points overall
- Jackie Young: 14 first-place votes and 163 points for Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces.
- Chelsea Gray: 15 first-place votes and 159 points for Chelsea Gray of the Las Vegas Aces.
- Jewell Loyd: 13 first-place votes and 158 points for Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm
- Sabrina Ionescu: 7 first-place votes and 143 points for Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty.
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