LAS VEGAS (Oct. 6, 2024)—The Las Vegas Aces saw their season come to a close after dropping Game 4 of the WNBA Semifinals to the New York Liberty, 76-62, on Sunday afternoon in Michelob ULTRA Arena. Played in front of their 26th straight sellout crowd, A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Kelsey Plum scored 17 and Tiffany Hayes chipped in 11 off the bench.
Sabrina Ionescu tallied a game-high 22 points for the Liberty.
Box Score | Highlights | Photo Gallery
First Quarter Highlights (New York 23, Las Vegas 19)
The Liberty opened up a 10-3 lead and owned an 8-point advantage, 21-13, with 1:40 to play in the quarter. The Aces scored a pair of traditional 3-point plays to draw to 21-19 before the Liberty got the final bucket of the period. Las Vegas connected on just 31.6% of its field goal attempts and 1 of 7 from distance, while the Liberty hit 47.4% of their shots and 3 of 6 from 3-point range. The Aces were outrebounded 13-6. Plum scored 6 for the Aces and Ionescu topped all scorers with 12.
Second Quarter Highlights (New York 41, Las Vegas 38)
The Aces moved to within a point, 28-27, before a 9-0 Liberty run gave the visitors a 10-point spread, 37-27, midway through the quarter. The Aces returned fire with an 11-2 spurt before New York got the last 2 points of the half. The Aces improved their shooting to 43.8% from the floor and 3 of 9 from distance in the second quarter, while the Liberty dropped to 35.3% of their field goal attempts but went 2 of 3 beyond the arc. The Liberty outrebounded the Aces 11-6. Plum led Las Vegas with 6 points and Breanna Stewart had 9 for New York.
Third Quarter Highlights (New York 53, Las Vegas 51)
The Liberty lead grew to as many as 7 points over the first 3 minutes of the third period, 49-42, but the Aces pulled it back to 2 at the end of the frame. A mid-court heave by Jackie Young as time expired hit its mark but missed beating the buzzer. It would have given the Aces their first lead since their game-opener 3-pointer. Neither team shot well as the Aces made 38.5% of their field goal attempts and New York shot 26.3%. Wilson scored 7 for Las Vegas and Stewart had 4 for New York.
Fourth Quarter Highlights (New York 76, Las Vegas 62)
The Aces struggled to hit the bottom of the net, while the Liberty went on a 16-2 tear and put the game out of reach, 69-53. Shooting woes continued for the Aces, who made 23.5% of their field goal attempts, while the Liberty netted 50% of theirs. Plum finished with 5 points and Ionescu had 7 for the Liberty.
KEY STATS
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The ACLU is currently tracking 530 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States, up from 515 at the start of the 2024 WNBA season.
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The Aces shot 21 of 64 from the field (.328), and 7 of 30 from 3-point range (.233), while the Liberty made 28 of 71 (.394) overall and 10 of 24 (.417) from distance.
The Liberty connected on 10 of their 11 free throw attempts, while the Aces, who made 82.8% of their free throws over the regular season, went 13 for 18 (.722) from the line.
The Liberty outrebounded the Aces 48-27, including 13-4 on the offensive glass.
The Liberty outscored the Aces 14-4 on second chances.
The Aces gave up just 8 points on 8 turnovers, while flipping New York’s 14 miscues into 14 points.
GAME NOTES
Las Vegas was without the services of center Kiah Stokes (concussion).
Wilson now has 849 playoff points, moving her past Brittney Griner (834) into 12th place on the WNBA’s career postseason scoring chart. Stewart (No. 11, 859) is next on the list.
Gray now has 763 points which are the 14th most in WNBA playoff history.
Wilson has scored in double figures in 22 consecutive postseason games tying her with Diana Taurasi for the 11th longest streak in WNBA history. Elena Delle Donne is next on the list with 23 straight games.
Wilson now has 424 career rebounds in postseason play, which ranks 7th place on the WNBA’s career list, trailing No. 7 Sylvia Fowles (426).
Wilson (10 defensive rebounds) now has 340 postseason defensive boards which are the 6th most in WNBA history. Lisa Leslie is next on the list with 344.
Gray now has 302 career assists in the postseason, which moved her past Diana Taurasi and Alyssa Thomas (296) into sole possession of 4th place in WNBA. history. Lindsay Whalen is No. 3 on the list with 341.
Gray made 1 shot from 3-point range, and now has 89 3-pointers made, which ranks 8th on the WNBA’s career list behind No. 7 Kristi Toliver (90); while Plum made 3 shots from 3-point range, giving her 80 in her postseason career and moving her into a tie with Deanna Nolan for 11th place on the WNBA’s career list. No. 10 is Tamika Catchings (81).
Wilson’s 6 made 2-pointers brought her career playoff total to 315, which are the 5th most in WNBA history. Next up on the list is No. 4 Seimone Augustus (324).
The Aces recorded their 26th straight home sellout game, dating to Game 1 of the 2023 WNBA Finals
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