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Aces close out Liberty in thrilling Game 4: How Las Vegas won its second straight WNBA title – The Athletic
WNBA
The Las Vegas Aces captured their second consecutive WNBA title Wednesday, rallying to defeat the New York Liberty 70-69 on the road in Game 4. Here’s what you need to know:
BACK-TO-BACK TITLES 🏆🏆
The @LVAces win the 2023 WNBA Championship. pic.twitter.com/rCsw1yhNrE
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 19, 2023
New York entered this series with the regular-season MVP and had the most dominant player through the first three games in Jonquel Jones. Neither player had an effective performance in Game 4. Breanna Stewart shot 3-of-17 from the field and missed a hauntingly wide-open 3-pointer with her team down 68-64 that could have changed the tenor of the final minute.
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Meanwhile, Wilson effectively kept Jones off the scoresheet — New York could barely get her the ball, and when Jones did get the ball inside, she was smothered by the defensive player of the year. — Sabreena Merchant, WNBA writer
It was Vandersloot who took the final shot of the 2023 WNBA Finals — an airball, which gave the Aces a 70-69 victory in Game 4. Although the crowd at Barclays Center gave the team an ovation as they walked off, there were no acknowledgments from Liberty players as they retreated to the locker room. New York shot just 36.1 from the field, with Stewart and Jones combining to shoot just 6-of-25 from the field and scoring only 16 points. A sub-par third quarter plagued them yet again.
It was a stunning end for the Liberty’s season, and an abrupt one — a finish that came to a Las Vegas team that was down two of its top six players. — Ben Pickman, WNBA writer
GO DEEPER
Liberty squander WNBA championship dreams, despite being built to take down Aces
The final defensive play from the Aces that sealed the deal.
🎥 @WNBA | #WNBAFinals pic.twitter.com/j5QOVRrCOV
— The Athletic WBB (@TheAthleticWBB) October 19, 2023
(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
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