Jonquel Jones scored a career-high 34 points Saturday and the visiting New York Liberty won a rematch of last year’s WNBA championship series, thumping the Las Vegas Aces 90-82.
Jones canned 12 of 16 shots from the field and 4 of 5 3-pointers, inserting the dagger on a 3-ball with 2:39 remaining in the game that upped New York’s lead to an insurmountable 86-68. Jones added eight rebounds.
Sabrina Ionescu chipped in 15 points and 12 assists for her first double-double of the year, while Breanna Stewart contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton hit for 12 points as the Liberty improved to 12-2.
Kelsey Plum paced Las Vegas (6-6) with 22 points, while A’ja Wilson added 21, ending her league-record streak of eight straight games with at least 25 points. Alysha Clark scored 13 and Jackie Young was held to 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
New York canned 48.5 percent of its shots from the field, including 12 of 28 from the 3-point line, and earned a 37-31 advantage on the glass. The Aces managed only two offensive rebounds and shot 44.9 percent from the field and 11 of 34 from behind the arc.
Wilson got Las Vegas off to a fast start by hitting her first shot and then assisting on a pair of buckets. But New York erased the 6-0 deficit and then some, taking a 28-20 lead to the second quarter as Ionescu splashed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left.
Plum, playing under the weather, rattled off 14 second quarter points in a 5 1/2-minute span. Her 3-pointer off a Wilson dish gave the Aces a 41-39 lead but the Liberty rallied to grab a 45-43 edge at the break.
Las Vegas started the third quarter with a 10-2 burst and forced a New York timeout after Plum’s floater gave it a 53-47 lead. However, the Liberty answered back with 14 straight points and took a 67-60 advantage to the fourth period.
New York played its fourth straight game without starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot (personal reasons).
–Field Level Media
