By John "Woods" Armwood III
Last season, the New York Liberty (23-4) concluded the season by losing to the Las Vegas Aces (17-9) in the WNBA finals on their home court. Despite sweeping them in the regular season, the Liberty lost when it counted the most. That said, this feeling of unsettling disappointment has set in for the Liberty and it appears it has to give them the energy to sustain for the duration of the season. The Aces are beyond a formidable opponent, however the Liberty came to play and most importantly clinched a playoff spot with this victory. With the win, the Liberty clinched the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, becoming the first team to do so in 2024, and also secured the head-to-head tiebreaker against Las Vegas.
″(We’re) making sure that we’re all aware that every moment matters," Stewart said. "We have to make sure we don’t miss opportunities ... it’s the experience, it’s having been in these big moments in playoff-type situations, and continuing to build off that.
New York held the Aces to eight points in the second quarter for Las Vegas’s first single-digit scoring quarter of the season. Each of the last three single-digit scoring quarters by the Aces came against the Liberty’s defense. New York set new season highs with 46 total rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds against Las Vegas, which marked the second-most total rebounds against the Aces in 2024 and tied for the second-highest offensive rebounding output by an Aces opponent this season.
“Stewie [Breanna Stewart] some big shots there too so we executed when we needed it but our defense,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello states. “So I was happy. Not obviously the first quarter, we weren't quite where we wanted to be, but the last three quarters were really,really great. We executed as well as we could.”
New York Liberty Key Standouts
2024 All-Star and star center Jonquel Jones finished with a double-double of 10 points and 17 rebounds, tying for her best rebounding performance in a Liberty uniform. The Liberty moved to 20-0 in games where Jones recorded a double-double during her Liberty tenure, according to Across the Timeline. Jonquel’s seven offensive rebounds marked her most since joining the Liberty, and she also tied her career high for rebounds in a single quarter with eight in the second period.
Jones added seven assists against the Aces to join Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, and Alyssa Thomas as the only players in WNBA history to record at least 10 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists in a single regular-season game. Jonquel has recorded multiple assists in 13 consecutive games, which is the longest streak of her career, and at least three assists in six consecutive games, which is the second-longest active streak among front court players.
“The whole game, I felt pretty confident we had good control,” said Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot, who had 17 points and 10 assists. "After our slow start, we picked things up defensively and were scoring in transition. I think we had a really good grasp on the game the entire time.”
What’s Next for the Liberty?
Tuesday night, the Liberty will take on the Dallas Wings (5-17) at home.