Aces Look to Regain 'Edge' Against Liberty and Make History After Falling Behind 0-2

Aces Look to Regain 'Edge' Against Liberty and Make History After Falling Behind 0-2

**NEW YORK** – To keep their championship three-peat hopes alive, the Las Vegas Aces face an unprecedented challenge: overcoming an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series, something no WNBA team has achieved before.

The two-time defending champions fell to the New York Liberty 88-84 in Game 2 of their semifinal series on Tuesday, meaning every remaining game is a must-win, starting Friday in Las Vegas.

"I love being in the history books, so why not try to make some?" said Aces guard Chelsea Gray. "That’s our mindset moving forward."

The Barclays Center buzzed with a crowd of 14,321, featuring celebrities like Alicia Keys, Carmelo Anthony, and Gayle King, as they celebrated the Liberty's commanding lead in the series. Among the attendees, former Liberty guard Teresa Weatherspoon received a warm ovation, reminding everyone that there’s still much work to do.

Weatherspoon, a Liberty legend who played in four championship pursuits from 1997 to 2002, knows the stakes. Despite being up 2-0, New York guard Sabrina Ionescu emphasized, "We haven’t won anything yet. We did what we needed to do, which was protect our home court."

The No. 4 seed Aces struggled to execute their game plan. Coach Becky Hammon noted her reluctance to call timeouts during moments of frustration but found herself needing to intervene at times. "I'm not upset with the officials or the Liberty; I’m frustrated with us and the number of layups we’re giving up," she said. "If that continues, we won't win. New York is too good."

Hammon recognized the challenge of three-peating, citing the distractions that come with success: "The whole league has been gunning for us. Human nature can be distracting."

The Liberty, eager to claim their first title, have now beaten the Aces five straight times, including the regular season. Ionescu was again a standout, posting 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in Game 2, following her 21-point performance in Game 1.

"We had a game plan for Ionescu that we didn’t execute," Hammon admitted. "Tonight, we just didn’t keep her in front of us as well as we should have."

Turnovers also proved costly for the Aces, who committed 12 errors, including a critical one in the closing moments. With just over ten seconds left and trailing by two, Gray's inbounds pass hit Kelsey Plum and was overturned on review, giving New York possession. Ionescu and Breanna Stewart sealed the game with crucial free throws.

"The turnovers in the first half really hurt us," Gray said. "If we could have adjusted a few of those possessions, the game could have turned differently."

Now, the Aces find themselves in a daunting position. Teams with a 2-0 lead in best-of-five series are 18-0 historically, and no defending champion has faced an 0-2 deficit before.

"It starts with our mentality," Gray stressed. "We need to be the aggressors on both ends of the floor. We showed glimpses of that tonight, but we need to bring it for a full 40 minutes to turn this around."

Las Vegas will need to rise to the occasion three times in a row, or the Liberty will advance to the WNBA Finals.