As the WNBA season comes to a close and four teams compete for a spot in the finals, the The Aces of Las Vegas avoided elimination with a victory against the New York Liberty, while Napheesa Collier made franchise history for the Minnesota Lynx as they took a 2-1 series lead over the Connecticut Sun.
Faced with elimination and the prospect of being swept in the WNBA semifinals, the double reigning champion On Friday, they posted a 95-81 victory over the Liberty in Game 3 of the best-of-five series.
The win keeps all three Las Vegas hopefuls alive for now, but the franchise will still have to make WNBA history to advance, as no team has ever overcome an 0-2 deficit in a playoff series best of five matches.
“Everything was perfect for everyone,” Aces coach Becky Hammon told reporters afterward. “I think it was probably our most complete game of the season, the game that I was waiting for and that I believed they did it.”
The game was still in the balance at halftime with the Aces leading 52-49. But after the break, the defending champions strung together 16 points in the third quarter and led by 24 points at one point in the fourth to take control of the game.
Jackie Young scored 24 points and Kelsey Plum 20 points, while league MVP A’ja Wilson had 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Aces defense effectively shut down Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, keeping her scoreless until the fourth quarter, not giving her “the light of day”, as she later said , according to ESPN.
“They lost two games, which allowed me to come off screens and pick them apart offensively,” she said. “So I think this game, you could see the adjustments they made — sending two or three to the ball at a time and not letting me get anything easy. There were usually three people in front of me, no matter what.
Until Friday, the Aces hadn’t beaten the Liberty all season, losing all three of their regular season games as well as the first two games of this playoff series. The win also marks Las Vegas’ 12th straight home playoff victory, breaking the WNBA record previously shared by the Los Angeles Sparks (2001-04) and Sacramento Monarchs (2003-06).
Vegas will once again have home-court advantage in the teams’ next game at Michelob Ultra Arena on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET in Game 4 of the series.
Collier makes franchise history in Lynx win over Sun
Elsewhere on Friday, Collier led the Minnesota Lynx to a 90-81 victory over the Connecticut Sun, scoring 26 points as they bounced back after struggling in Game 2.
The Lynx now hold a 2-1 series lead and can advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2017 if they win Game 4 on Sunday.
Collier made franchise history with her performance by contributing 26 points and 11 rebounds, becoming the first Lynx player to total multiple games of 25 points and 10 rebounds in the playoffs.
“It’s the law of averages. Sometimes you have an off night,” she told ESPN, referring to her performance in Game 2 where she scored nine points. “But I knew I had to compete – it’s the playoffs. You must play with an aggressive mindset, not remembering what happened in the previous match, but staying in the present moment.
Game 4 takes place in Connecticut on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.
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