Sabrina Ionescu scored 26 points, Breanna Stewart added 25 and the host New York Liberty defeated the Las Vegas Aces — playing without A’ja Wilson — to win the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup championship 93-85 on Tuesday night.
Rookie Pauline Astier added 15 points and four assists, and Stewart posted a game-high 11 rebounds as the Liberty became the first team to win the Cup twice.
Jackie Young scored a game-high 31 points for Las Vegas, while reserve Chennedy Carter added 18. Young and Chelsea Gray each had seven assists.
Wilson, a four-time league MVP who leads the WNBA in scoring (25.7) this season, suffered an injury to her right ankle on Sunday against Chicago. She is expected back later this week.
With the win, the Liberty earned a $500,000 prize pool that comes out to be about $30,000 per player. The team also got $10,000 for a charity of its choice. Stewart was named MVP, which comes with a $5,000 bonus.
Las Vegas took its first lead of the game at 71-69 on Young’s runner in the lane with 7:25 left in the fourth. New York responded right away, with Astier’s long 3-pointer igniting a 12-0 run.
In the final minute, Young missed a crucial layup. Ionescu then buried a 34-footer for her fifth 3-pointer of the night, and the Liberty had the Cup.
Ionescu scored New York’s first eight points on 3-for-3 shooting, including two from deep. That early spurt helped the Liberty take a 27-21 lead at the end of a first quarter, during which the Aces missed all six of their 3-point tries.
New York led 51-37 at halftime due to a pair of key stats. The Liberty made 17 of 17 from the foul line as compared to just 1 of 2 for the Aces; New York also made 4 of 14 3-point tries compared to 0 for 11 for Las Vegas.
Ionescu led all first-half scorers with 17 points. Carter had 12 for Las Vegas.
After missing its first 13 3-pointers, Las Vegas finally connected from deep on Jewell Loyd’s shot with 7:09 left in the third. The Aces rode that momentum and cut New York’s lead to 65-62 after three quarters. Las Vegas turned the tables with three 3-pointers in the frame while New York went 0-for-7.
–Field Level Media
