Liberty trying to stay alive at Barclays

WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart will keep chasing her third championship ring and the Liberty’s first Wednesday night in Downtown Brooklyn.
Photo: Frank Franklin II/AP

The New York Liberty hope to welcome another record-setting crowd to Downtownโ€™s Barclays Center Wednesday night, and send their fans home with the dream of celebrating the franchiseโ€™s first-ever WNBA title this weekend in Las Vegas.

After staving off elimination here Sunday before the highest recorded attendance in league history, the Liberty will host the defending champion Las Vegas Aces for Game 4 of the best-of-5 WNBA Finals.ย 

โ€œIโ€™m proud of the effort and the commitment that we had. Now, we have to do it again,โ€ Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said after New York kept its title drive alive with a stirring 87-73 triumph over Vegas in Game 3 Sunday before a legion of 17,143 Brooklyn basketball fanatics.

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello hopes her team can force a decisive Game 5 in the WNBA Finals.
Photo: Frank Franklin II/AP

After dropping the first two contests in Sin City, the Liberty (1-2) bounced back into contention as Jonquel Jones spearheaded the New York attack with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

โ€œIt helps when youโ€™re at home, what an amazing crowd,โ€ Brondello gushed. โ€œIt was great all the support we got, and hopefully weโ€™ll take that home-court advantage Wednesday as well.โ€

Jones drained four of the Libertyโ€™s series-high 13 3-pointers as New York snapped Vegasโ€™ undefeated run through the postseason and denied the Aces in their initial shot at becoming the leagueโ€™s first back-to-back champions since the 2001-02 Los Angeles Sparks.

โ€œJust so really, really proud of JJ,โ€ Brondello said of Jones, who lost the WNBA Finals to the Aces last year as a member of the Connecticut Sun.

โ€œSheโ€™s so important for us, her will to win,โ€ Brondello added. โ€œSheโ€™s a superstar this girl. โ€ฆ Weโ€™re gonna need her to do it again on Wednesday.โ€

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