Sabrina Ionescu and the Liberty treated the largest WNBA crowd ever at Barclays Center to another win over the Aces Monday night. Photo by Brandon Todd/New York Liberty
Getting ever nearer to securing the best record in the Eastern Conference, the New York Liberty have even bigger goals in mind.
Sabrina Ionescu scored 17 of her game-high 25 points in the first half as New York beat league-leading Las Vegas, 94-85, Monday night before a record-setting crowd of 11,615 at Downtown’s Barclays Center.
With the win, the Liberty (28-7) moved within 1 1/2 games of the Aces (30-6) for the top seed in next month’s WNBA playoffs with five games to play.
They also earned a 2-2 split of their regular-season series with Vegas while holding a plus-17 edge in scoring differential.
That does not count New York’s Commissioner’s Cup triumph over the Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Aug. 15.
“It was like a mini-series for us in the season,” noted Ionescu, who drilled five 3-pointers.
“It was nice to be able to see how we’ve been able to come our every single game and make those adjustments in real time and continue to get better through these games (against Vegas).”
The Liberty have won three of the last four meetings with the Aces, who suddenly aren’t a lock for the No. 1 seed.
″Making sure that we’re all aware that every moment matters,” said Liberty forward and league Most Valuable Player candidate Breanna Stewart after finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a pair of blocked shots.
The former two-time WNBA Finals MVP during her years in Seattle has eclipsed the Liberty’s all-time record for points and rebounds in a season.
She also is the only player in league history with three 40-point games in a single year, making her debut season here one to remember.
But the…
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