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Shop at Jay’s Market a 190 Flamingo Road at the Koval Lane intersection east of the Strip.
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Story by Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — There was less than a minute to play in the Aces-Liberty game and result was plain to see.
The Las Vegas Aces’ try at a three-peat was going to end Sunday.
So, WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson hugged the Liberty’s Breanna Stewart only a few seconds before the Liberty closed out the Best-of-5 Semis with a 76-62 win over the now former two-time league title holders. New York beat Vegas in all three regular season showdowns, then the first two games of the semis in Brooklyn before ending the Aces’ season today.
In the end, the Aces allowed too many layups on defense in the fourth quarter and scored a mere 11 points in the final quarter, too.
After the game, Aces head coach Becky Hammon said the Aces shooting 32 percent will not get the ob done.
“We just didn’t shoot the ball well this year,” Hammon told he media. “Their group earned it.”
After three quarters, it was just a two-point game as New York led Las Vegas, 53-51, heading into the final ten minutes of the game.
But New York closed the deal and will head to the finals thanks to outscoring Las Vegas, 23-11, in the decisive fourth quarter. New York guard Sabrina Ionescu led the Liberty with 22, including a key three-pointer in that fourth period, while Stewart added 19 points.
“Three-peats are hard. Everyone wants to beat you,” Wilson said. “It sucks. It stings.”
Wilson was her usual solid self with 19 points and guard Kelsey Plum scored 17. But fellow guards Chelsea Gray mustered only seven points and Jackie Young had a very tough game with only four points after notching 24 points in the Aces’ Game 3 win Friday night here at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandlay Bay hotel-casino.
“That’s not the way we wanted to end the season,” Gray said after the game.
Aces owner Mark Davis could not attend the Aces game. He was in Denver watching his Raiders play their rival Broncos. The Raiders jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but the Broncos responded with a 34-18 win.
The Raiders have won two games and lost three under permanent coach Antonio Pierce, who was an interim for the final nine games in 2023.