Liberty Rout Aces 111-71 as Marine Johannès Scores Career-High 27 Points

Marine Johannès scored a career-high 27 points off the bench, and the New York Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces 111-71 on Sunday in Brooklyn for the third-largest margin of victory in franchise history.

Las Vegas rested A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young, playing its third game in 65 and a half hours and closing out a nine-day, five-game road trip. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus was out under concussion protocol. The last time the Aces played without Wilson, Gray, and Young was Sept. 19, 2024. Brianna Turner, Dana Evans, and Jewell Loyd started in their places and combined for eight points. Las Vegas had lost 98-87 at Minnesota on Saturday.

Aces coach Becky Hammon said the bench brought energy in the final game of the trip and that her group was ready to get back to Las Vegas.

"You got to be healthy and fresh as much as possible, obviously, after going through a season," Hammon said. "So the health and safety of the players come first. Wherever we end up, we end up. And we'll play whatever hand is dealt to us."

"But, you know, to me, this was just a bigger-picture type scenario," Hammon continued. "So, you know, you take the L, understanding that, you know, it pays dividends on the back end."

New York scored the first five points and led 15-4 in the opening minutes. Through the first quarter the Liberty outrebounded the Aces 14-7, including a 4-0 margin on the offensive glass, and led 24-15. New York has held opponents to 18 points or fewer in the first quarter in four straight games. From 6:53 to 2:32 of the second quarter the Liberty went on a 14-5 run, and they outscored Las Vegas 16-6 in the paint over the period to lead 50-39 at the half.

Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said New York is hard to beat when it is moving the ball and getting stops.

"It's a dangerous game for us," DeMarco said. "Other players get more opportunities. So we just wanted to keep our aggression from the start and just keep playing our brand of basketball."

New York scored the first seven points of the third quarter, five of them by Rebecca Allen. Las Vegas did not score in the period until NaLyssa Smith made a layup at the 4:22 mark, a drought of 5 minutes and 38 seconds. The Liberty held the Aces to 5-of-16 shooting and 1-of-9 from 3-point range in the quarter and outscored them 24-12, including a 15-6 run from 6:29 to 1:45. Johannès hit a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in the period for a 74-51 lead.

Johannès shot 9-of-14 from the field and 7-of-12 from 3-point range, adding three assists and a steal. She scored 20 points in the second half, a career high for any half. Four of her 3-pointers came in the fourth quarter, matching her career high for a quarter. Sunday was her 13th game in a Liberty uniform with at least five 3-pointers, second-most in franchise history behind Sabrina Ionescu. It was also her 12th game scoring at least 15 points off the bench, second-most in franchise history behind Hammon. She passed her previous career high for 3-pointers in a season, 65, and matched the franchise record for 3-pointers off the bench in a game. Johannès became the seventh reserve in WNBA history to make seven 3-pointers in a game.

Johannès said the Liberty were smiling on the floor together through the fourth quarter.

"Well, it just feels good," Johannès said. "Like, knowing that there were missing players, like, we had to stay ready and we had to stay focused. And I think we did — like, the starting five, but the bench too, like, we did a pretty good job. So it's just like sharing the ball, playing with confidence. And so, yeah, I think we did a good job tonight as a team."

Over the fourth quarter New York shot 15-of-21 from the field and 5-of-9 from long range, including a 9-0 run from 8:25 to 6:00. The 37 points were a season high for the Liberty in any quarter. The 15 field goals in the period were also a season high for any quarter this season.

Breanna Stewart finished with 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists with a steal and a block. Stewart became the first player in Liberty franchise history to reach 200 blocks. She joined Sylvia Fowles as the only players in league history with at least 200 blocks for multiple franchises. Sunday was her 11th consecutive game with a block, matching the longest such streak of her career. It was also her 23rd straight game scoring in double figures. Stewart made her 1,000th field goal in a Liberty uniform in her 141st game with the team, the second-fastest anyone has reached the mark in franchise history.

Stewart said the fourth quarter got the whole roster going ahead of a quick turnaround Tuesday.

"When things get tough, we definitely have been coming together more and just continuing to build the confidence, just in a vocal way," Stewart said. "Like, that start of the third, it seemed like nobody could score. I don't think anybody scored for like three minutes or something like that."

"And just not letting one thing dictate the next, you know what I mean?" Stewart continued. "Missed shot, whatever happens, we're still going to play defense and be in our schemes, and go back down and get another opportunity to score."

Jonquel Jones scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 3-of-6 from long range in 19 minutes, with eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. One of those 3-pointers was the 200th of her Liberty career. Allen contributed 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. Her eight rebounds were her most in a game since June 30, 2024, and she recorded consecutive games with multiple steals in a Liberty uniform for the first time since 2021.

Han Xu added 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds, a steal, and a block. Rebekah Gardner scored 11 points and pulled down a season-high seven rebounds, four of them on the offensive glass to match her career high. Marine Fauthoux handed out a career-high nine assists off the bench with three rebounds.

Six Liberty players scored in double figures for the third time this season. The reserves scored 58 points, the third-highest bench total in franchise history and the highest since 2016. New York outscored Las Vegas 52-26 in the paint and 13-4 on second-chance points, and Sunday was its 15th consecutive game with at least 10 second-chance points, a franchise record.

The Liberty have scored at least 92 points in eight straight games, the longest such streak in WNBA history. New York topped 110 points for the second time this season, the first time the franchise has done that twice in one year. DeMarco reached 20 wins in 33 games, the fastest any head coach has gotten there in franchise history.

Ta'Niya Latson led the Aces with 20 points and Mai Yamamoto added 16 points and six assists, both career highs. Justine Pissott scored 11. Yamamoto made a career-high four 3-pointers. The Las Vegas bench scored 52 of the team's 71 points. The Aces shot 25-of-63 from the field and 10-of-29 from 3-point range and were outrebounded 45-24.

Hammon said Las Vegas could have done a better job flipping screens to give Yamamoto more angles to work with against a defense that stayed into the ball handler.

"I thought she was awesome today," Hammon explained. "Quite a little debut. I mean, she got a couple of minutes the other night, but when you take advantage of a moment — you know, she was given an opportunity today and I think she made the most of it. I'm more inclined to keep building that trust with her and give her more moments. I thought she was a super positive factor for us today."

New York is 20-13 and has won four straight and seven of its last eight. Indiana is 20-12, Washington and Atlanta are each 19-12, and Dallas is 19-14.

Las Vegas returns home for five straight games, starting with Washington on Tuesday and Thursday. New York visits Indiana on Tuesday.