Las Vegas, NV—– Jonquel Jones set a career-high with 34 points, complemented by double-doubles from Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, as the New York Liberty surged past the defending WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces, 90-82 on Saturday afternoon in front of an announced crowd of 10,424 fans.
Ionescu notched 15 points and 12 assists, while Stewart contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Liberty (12-2). Betnijah Laney-Hamilton chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds.
The Aces (6-6) have now lost four of their last five games. Kelsey Plum led Las Vegas with 22 points, and A’ja Wilson poured in 21 points and nine rebounds. Alysha Clark chipped in 13 points, Jackie Young had 10 points and six assists, and Kiah Stokes grabbed 12 rebounds.
“I don’t even know why I’m crying,” Wilson said when asked about how she holds herself accountable for the team’s defensive lapses.
“But I love my teammates so much that I will take any hit. Good, bad, ugly. I’m gonna go out there and I’m gonna try to be the best,” she said.
Las Vegas held a 53-47 lead midway through the third quarter after a floater from Plum, but went scoreless for nearly five minutes. New York capitalized with a 14-0 run, sparked by six points from Jones, to take control for good. Although the Aces narrowed the gap, they couldn’t regain the lead.
The Liberty dominated in transition, scoring 12 fast-break points compared to the Aces’ four, and also outscored them 36-30 in the paint.
The Aces have now lost as many games as they did in last year’s entire regular season (34-6), while the Liberty continue on an eight-game winning streak.
Las Vegas struggled from the hardwood with 44% (31-of-69) and a low 32% (11-of-34) from 3-point range.
“We have to just find our niche, find who we want to be,” Wilson said. “We see a lot of glimpses of the Aces and sometimes we see glimpses of the Aces spelled backward. We can’t have that.”
The Aces will play Seattle next at home on Wednesday at 7 p.m. That game will be broadcast on NBA TV.
