Sabrina Ionescu scored 26 and Breanna Stewart earned MVP as the Liberty beat the A'ja Wilson-less Aces 93-85 to win their second Commissioner's Cup title.
Sabrina Ionescu scored 26 points in her best game of the season, Breanna Stewart added 25 and was named MVP, and the New York Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces 93-85 on Tuesday night to win the WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship.
The win made New York the first franchise to claim the Cup twice, adding to the title it won over Las Vegas in 2023. Stewart, who also grabbed 11 rebounds, became the first two-time Commissioner's Cup MVP in league history.
"To win our second one, it's special to do it in Barclays with our fans," Stewart said.
The night meant more for Ionescu, who has recently dealt with an ankle injury and a back issue. She scored the Liberty's first eight points and led all first-half scorers with 17, helping the Liberty build a 51-37 halftime lead.
"I always continued to have that belief in myself since I know the work I put in," Ionescu said. "An injury or two isn't going to diminish who I am."
Las Vegas played without A'ja Wilson, the four-time MVP and league scoring leader, who tweaked her right ankle Sunday against Chicago and is expected back later this week. In her absence, Jackie Young carried the Aces, scoring 25 of her game-high 31 points in the second half to drag Las Vegas back into it.
Young's Aces were ahead 65-62 after three quarters and took their first lead at 71-69 early in the fourth quarter. However, New York quickly countered with a 15-2 run, initiated by rookie Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's 3-pointer, and kept the lead from then on.
Ionescu finished the run with a 3-pointer, making it 84-73. When Young reduced the gap to four, she missed a contested layup in the last minute. Ionescu then hit a deep 3-pointer to secure the victory.
Stewart said the Liberty expected and met the Aces' push.
"We knew that run was coming because of how talented Vegas is," Stewart said. "When they got close, we knew we had to get stops, secure rebounds, and control the pace. Then, when the game demanded it, we made the big plays."
Aces coach Becky Hammon said her team still had a chance despite missing the star.
"I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win. We had a couple of bonehead plays late that we could have easily handled and didn't," Hammon said. "Against a team like New York, you have to shoot the three fairly well. We also needed one more player to have a big game, and we just weren't able to get that tonight."
Hammon defended Young, who was hard on herself after the missed layup.
"That shot wasn't what won or lost the game. She's a perfectionist, demands a lot out of herself," Hammon said. "Needs to give herself a little more grace."
Young kept her disappointment brief.
"Do what I can to help our team win. Unfortunately we fell short tonight," Young said.
New York shot 17-for-17 on free throws in the first half and often contained Las Vegas's 3-point attempts, as the Aces missed their first 13 shots.
Liberty coach Chris DeMarco emphasized the importance of the moment despite aiming for the championship as the ultimate goal.
"You can't take moments like this for granted. Obviously we have bigger goals. We want to win a WNBA championship. But this matters too," DeMarco said. "To withstand the run they made and then respond the way we did, with our stars making winning plays down the stretch, that's what champions do."
The Aces host the Chicago Sky on Friday. The Liberty host the Minnesota Lynx the same day.
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