WNBA Playoffs: Sabrina Ionescu and Liberty hold off the Aces and take a 2-0 series lead over the defending champions

The Las Vegas Aces and reigning league MVP A’ja Wilson could be in trouble.

Although Wilson did everything she could to keep the Aces on track, it just wasn’t enough to get past the New York Liberty on Tuesday night.

The Liberty, powered by another great performance from Breanna Stewart and a key finish from Sabrina Ionescu, held off Wilson and the Aces on Tuesday night. They picked up an 88-84 win in Game 2 of their second round playoffs at Barclays Center in New York and are now on the verge of a return to the WNBA Finals.

The Liberty, who earned a dominant win in Game 1 of the series, now lead 2-0 in a rematch of last season’s WNBA Finals. WNBA teams are 18-0 in the postseason when leading a series 2-0. The Aces, who have dominated the league in recent years and won back-to-back titles, are also the first defending champions to fall 2-0 in a WNBA playoff series.

Stewart, who dropped an incredible 34 points in Liberty’s Game 1 win, came within a whisker of a triple-double with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds while providing much of the relief for the Liberty’s offense in the first three quarters. Ionescu then prevailed until the end and secured victory in the final minutes. She dropped 11 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter and finished the game with nine rebounds while making 50% of her field shots.

After trailing for most of the contest, the Aces stormed back and tied the game late in the fourth quarter. They equalized several times in the final minutes, first after Alysha Clark shot a three-pointer with about 90 seconds left. This was the first time the game was tied since the end of the second quarter.

However, Ionescu responded and immediately put the Liberty back in the lead with a perfectly contested 15-foot throw.

Then, after some back and forth, the Liberty won a one-on-one on the other side after the ball went out of bounds from Aces guard Kelsey Plum, giving them possession again with just 10.5 seconds left. That led to Ionescu returning to the free throw line and ultimately securing the four-point win.

The Aces got off to a much better start after their struggles in Game 1, taking a slight lead after the first 10 minutes thanks to 10 quick points from Chelsea Gray in the first quarter. However, this advantage simply did not last. Thanks to a strong 9-0 win, the Liberty shot up by six at halftime. The Liberty also held Las Vegas to just 13 points in that period.

While they fell behind by 10 points almost immediately after halftime, the Aces slowly fought back towards the end of the third period for one final push. They reduced the deficit to just four and Jackie Young dropped nine of her 17 points in the period to keep them in the lead before their final push which ultimately narrowly failed.

Wilson led the Aces with 24 points and seven rebounds, shooting 11 of 18 from the field. Young added six rebounds and three assists to her 17 points, and Gray finished the game with 14 points and seven assists. Jonquel Jones added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Liberty, while Stewart and Ionescu combined for 39 points. Courtney Vandersloot added 12 points off the bench for New York.

Game 3 of the series is scheduled for Friday evening in Las Vegas. The Aces, attempting to become the first team to win three straight championships since the Houston Comets did so early in the WNBA’s existence, must now stage a historic comeback to keep that dream alive.

Otherwise, it will be the Liberty who advance to the Finals again in their quest for the franchise’s first championship.