Sabrina Ionescu, Courtney Vandersloot key in Liberty win over Aces: “We did what we were supposed to do”

BROOKLYN — Sitting at the podium ahead of Game 2, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon wasn’t happy. Her Aces dropped Game 1 at Barclay’s Center, 87-77, a final score that reflected two concurrent realities: Las Vegas had shot poorly, and the two-time defending champions were simply outplayed.

“I was really disappointed in our effort,” Hammon said of Game 1.

Las Vegas had a chance to rectify things in Game 2 — and while they certainly pushed the Liberty to their limits, they ultimately came up just short, falling to New York 88-84.

And, after the final buzzer, Hammon was similarly unhappy with her team’s performance, stating that she called multiple timeouts out of frustration with their attention to detail, though noting that she was happier with the team’s efforts.

“The amount of layups we gave up was obscene,” Hammon said.

“The layups are just back-breaking.”

“The same problems were the same problems.”

Here’s what went down in Liberty-Aces Game 2.

Sabrina Ionescu leads the way — especially in the clutch

For the Liberty, Sabrina Ionescu was the hero in this one, exploding for 24 points (9-18 FG), 9 rebounds and 8 assists. She scored 7 points in the final two minutes, helping stave off a late Aces push.

“Sabrina was massive down the stretch, making it hard for them,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said postgame.

“In the big moments, she just really steps up,” Jonquel Jones said postgame.

Ionescu had a slightly less generous interpretation of events.

“I didn’t think we were always poised [in the clutch] — I had some bad shots,” Ionescu said postgame.

But, Ionescu was certainly good enough to help ensure the Liberty would take a commanding 2-0 lead in the WNBA semi-finals.

In the win, Breanna Stewart added 15 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds, while Jones battled with three-time MVP A’ja Wilson all night, finishing with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Kayla Thornton, Courtney Vandersloot come off huge off the bench

Courtney Vandersloot and Kayla Thornton were critical off the bench; Vandersloot scored 12 points on 5-7 shooting, while Thornton added 9 on 4-5 shooting.

“I thought she could be this x-factor in this series,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said of Thornton.

“Nine big points,” Brondello said of Thornton’s offensive contributions.

Prior to the game, both coaches reflected on Vandersloot’s season — she lost her mother and was away from the team for several weeks. Becky Hammon praised Vandersloot for her willingness to come off the bench in favor of Leonie Fiebich, and empathized with all that Vandersloot has dealt with this season.

“Your heart goes out to her on a human level,” Hammon said pregame. “Nobody loves you like your mom, that’s for sure. We had a similar situation with AC, with her father, the year before. It’s just heavy, it’s hard. They’re playing every night with broken hearts, and this is a game that has always provided them a lot of comfort in whatever they’re going through.”

In this one, Vandersloot was one of the key reasons for the victory.

Sabrina Ionescu leads the way in the final minutes

The final minutes were back-and-forth and drama-filled. The Liberty held a 1-point lead with just over two minutes to play when Sabrina Ionescu found a cutting Breanna Stewart to extend the lead to 3. Alysha Clark then hit two free throws on the other end to cut the deficit 1, and Ionescu responded with a difficult layup through contact.

Clark tied things up with a corner three — and Ionescu responded once again with a pull-up jumper. The two teams traded misses, and Tiffany Hayes had the chance to tie things up with a pair of free throws, but split them. Ionescu split hers, too, giving the Aces one more chance to tie things up with 11 seconds to play. But, an out-of-bounds call that was initially ruled off of the Liberty was overturned, giving Liberty possession and control of the game. Ionescu iced the win with two free throws.

“When Leo [Fiebich] tells me to challenge, I challenge,” Brondello said with a laugh.

For the Aces, A’ja Wilson finished with 24 points on 10-17 shooting, Jackie Young with 17 points and 6 assists, and Chelsea Gray with 14 points and 6 assists.. Alysha Clark, in the starting lineup in place of Kiah Stokes, added 13 points, including 5 in the final minute (a corner three and a pair of free throws). But, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Liberty’s well-balanced performance, in which 6 Liberty players scored at least 8 points.

For New York, the win is just that: a single victory.

“Being up 2-0 is great, but we haven’t won anything,” Ionescu said. “We did what we’re supposed to do.”