The New York Liberty hoist the Commissioner’s Cup trophy, their first title hardware since the WNBA began play in 1997. AP Photo by Steve Marcus
It’s certainly not the championship the New York Liberty are chasing this season.
But the Commissioner’s Cup is the first title trophy in franchise history.
And it’s coming back to Downtown Brooklyn.
Marine Johannes scored 17 points on dead-eye shooting off the bench and Jonquel Jones grabbed Most Valuable Player honors with her 11th double-double of the season as the Liberty ran past league-best Las Vegas, 82-63, Tuesday night to grab the WNBA’s in-season tournament crown.
“The Commissioner’s Cup was definitely a step in the right direction for us as a team to put the pieces together toward the ultimate goal, which is to win a WNBA championship,” said Jones, who helped New York to a whopping 49-28 advantage on the boards.
The 8,967 fans at Michelob ULTRA Arena came to see the league’s two “Super Teams” meet for the third time this year after each took a game on its home floor.
Unbeaten in their previous 15 home contests, the Aces (27-3) found themselves getting outshot, especially from long range, outhustled and outscored, 50-29, in the second half.
Johannes went 6-of-8 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, in only 14 minutes on the hardwood to help New York to a 15-for-35 effort from beyond the arc on a night Las Vegas managed to hit only five of its 26 3-pointers.
Jones finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots to help the Liberty (24-6) become the third Commissioner’s Cup champions in league history.
The Aces won the coveted trophy and the WNBA crown last year and Seattle, spearheaded by Liberty forward and league MVP candidate Breanna Stewart, grabbed the inaugural Cup.
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