The New York Liberty made a massive statement on Saturday while accomplishing a league first.
The Liberty looked sharp in a rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals, knocking off the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces, 79-67, and improving to a league-best 23-4. With the victory, New York became the first team to claim a playoff berth.
Trailing the Aces 28-24 after one quarter, the Liberty pulled away with a big second quarter, outscoring Las Vegas 18-8 to gain a 42-36 lead at the break. New York went on to hold the lead throughout the second half, poised by big games from Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones.
Jones finished three assists shy of a triple-double and was dominant under the boards. The former MVP joined Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker and Alyssa Thomas as the only players in WNBA history to record at least 17 rebounds, 10 points and seven assists in a regular-season contest, per the Liberty.
Meanwhile, Ionescu and Stewart also shined on Saturday, fresh off their successful trip to France. Ionescu led the team with 23 points, six rebounds and three assists while Stewart recorded 18 points and seven rebounds along with two steals and two blocks.
The Liberty victory also helped head coach Sandy Brondello make history. The 55-year-old has led a team to the postseason for the 12th straight year as a head coach. She’s the first to accomplish the feat in WNBA history.
Several of the Liberty’s top stars, like Stewart and Ionescu, are coming off an exhilarating gold-medal win with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But they aren’t letting that distract them from focusing on the second half of the WNBA season.
“There’s no excuses,” Stewart said via SNY. “Nobody cares if we just came off the Olympics, and we have a game four days later and a nine-hour time zone change.”
With a postseason spot wrapped up, the Liberty’s focus is now on securing the first overall seed. Following Saturday’s action, New York owns a three-game lead on the Connecticut Sun (19-6) for the top spot in the WNBA.
