Sabrina Ionescu scored 23 factors, Jonquel Jones had a double-double and the visiting New York Liberty used a fourth-quarter surge to beat the Las Vegas Aces 79-67 on Saturday and turn out to be the primary WNBA staff this season to clinch a playoff spot.
Jones completed with 10 factors, 17 rebounds and 7 assists for New York, which scored 12 straight factors after Las Vegas closed inside 67-63 on Chelsea Grey’s 3-pointer with 6:24 left within the fourth.
Grey completed with 13 factors for the Aces (16-9), who had been led by A’ja Wilson’s 24 factors and 11 boards.
Breanna Stewart added 18 factors and 7 rebounds for the league-leading Liberty (23-4), who received their sixth straight recreation.
After Grey’s trey pulled Las Vegas inside 4 factors, Leonie Fiebich responded with a 3-pointer from the highest of the important thing to push New York forward 70-63.
Ionescu added two free throws earlier than Jones discovered Kayla Thornton in the proper nook for a 3-pointer that made it 75-63 with 4:46 left.
Stewart’s 12-footer on the 2:56 mark capped the 12-0 run, giving the Liberty a 79-63 cushion.
New York outshot the Aces 40.5 p.c to 36.9 p.c and outrebounded them 46-30.
Las Vegas seemed rejuvenated early on in its first recreation since July 16. The Aces instantly pushed the tempo on offense and torched the Liberty from exterior, changing their first 5 3-point makes an attempt to grab a 25-15 lead with 2:43 left within the first quarter.
Kelsey Plum’s typical three-point play on the 2:13 mark of the primary quarter pushed the Aces forward 28-17. New York promptly clamped down and chipped away behind Ionescu, who led all first-half scorers with 17 factors.
Ionescu drilled a 16-footer and two threes throughout a 13-0 run that bridged the primary and second quarters and swung the Liberty forward 30-28. New York held Las Vegas to eight factors within the second quarter and carried a 42-36 lead into halftime.
The Aces hung round in a gritty third quarter and pulled inside 50-47 on Alysha Clark’s 3-pointer with 3:52 left. It was Las Vegas’ first trey for the reason that 2:43 mark of the primary quarter.
Kennedy Burke buried a triple and Ionescu added a floater to shut out the third, giving the Liberty a 59-51 lead.
–Discipline Stage Media
