The New York Liberty held off a determined Las Vegas Aces squad Tuesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, securing a 93-85 victory behind a dominant performance from Sabrina Ionescu and a double-double from Breanna Stewart.
Ionescu was the engine that drove New York’s offense from start to finish. The Liberty’s star guard finished as the game’s second-leading scorer with 26 points while also distributing the ball effectively, tallying five assists to keep the Liberty’s attack moving. Her ability to create both for herself and her teammates proved critical in keeping Las Vegas at arm’s length throughout the contest.
Stewart anchored the interior for New York, hauling down 11 rebounds to give the Liberty a consistent presence on the glass. Her work on the boards helped offset a Las Vegas squad that was aggressive in pursuing second-chance opportunities, pulling down 10 offensive rebounds on the night.
For the Aces, Jackie Young put together a remarkable individual performance that wasn’t enough to swing the outcome. Young led all scorers with 31 points and added seven assists, essentially serving as a one-woman offensive engine for Las Vegas. Despite her efforts, the Aces couldn’t generate enough consistent production from the rest of their roster to close the gap.
Las Vegas’s shooting struggles were a significant factor in the final margin. The Aces connected on just 43 percent of their field goal attempts, going 34-for-79 from the floor. Their three-point shooting was particularly problematic — Las Vegas attempted 26 shots from beyond the arc but converted only six, a 23-percent clip that left far too many possessions without reward. The Aces did get to the free-throw line with some regularity, finishing 11-for-14 at 79 percent, but it wasn’t enough to compensate for the cold shooting elsewhere.
Las Vegas also committed nine turnovers on the night, which New York was able to capitalize on to maintain its advantage. The Aces did show some fight on the defensive end, recording eight steals, but their inability to knock down perimeter shots consistently undermined any momentum those takeaways might have generated.
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus was the top rebounder for Las Vegas, finishing with eight boards, while the Aces as a team pulled down 30 total rebounds and distributed the ball well with 21 assists. The ball movement was there for Las Vegas, but the shots simply didn’t fall at a rate that would have made the final score competitive.
New York’s defense held firm when it needed to, and Ionescu’s scoring punch combined with Stewart’s interior presence gave the Liberty a balanced attack that Las Vegas had no reliable answer for. The eight-point final margin — 93-85 — reflects a game that was competitive in stretches but ultimately controlled by the home team at Barclays Center.
The Liberty’s victory strengthens their position in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Aces, despite Young’s heroic 31-point, seven-assist outing, will need to find more consistent contributions from their supporting cast if they hope to keep pace in the Western Conference race.
