Aces high as Liberty visit reigning champs

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello hopes to lead her players past the reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces Thursday night. Photo by Brandon Todd/New York Liberty

You have to beat the champ to be the champ.

The old boxing adage played out in many fabled title fights over the decades in Las Vegas.

The New York Liberty are about to test their collective mettle against the reigning champions of their league in Sin City Thursday night.

The Liberty will shoot for their fifth straight victory and sixth consecutive road win Thursday night as they visit the Las Vegas Aces in a battle of the WNBAโ€™s โ€œSuperteamsโ€ and conference leaders before what should be a raucous crowd at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

New York (10-3) jumped into the top spot in the East with an 89-81 triumph in Connecticut Tuesday, kicking off a three-game road trip.

Breanna Stewart scored 24 points, Jonquel Jones added 14 points and 11 rebounds and Courtney Vandersloot had 17 points and handed out nine assists as the Libertyโ€™s Big Three continued its quest to bring the franchise its first-ever championship.

โ€œIt shows their resiliency really,โ€ New York coach Sandy Brondello said after the Liberty held the Sun scoreless over the last 3 1/2 minutes after squandering a double-digit lead earlier in the fourth quarter.

โ€œJust staying true to how we want to play, and supporting each other.โ€

The Aces (13-1) are looking to improve on their 7-0 home record against the only team that ranked even close to them among preseason oddsmakers predicting the 2023 WNBA champion.

Reigning MVP Aโ€™ja Wilson scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Monday night against visiting Indiana as Vegas made it six straight victories with an 88-80 win.

Reigning WNBA MVP Aโ€™Ja Wilson and the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces will host Downtown Brooklynโ€™s New York Liberty Thursday. AP Photo by Jessica Hill

Spearheaded by Wilson, the backcourt tandem of Jackie Wilson and Kelsey Plum as well as WNBA legend Candace…

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