New York Tops Las Vegas on Championship Day at Barclays
The New York Liberty celebrated the first championship in franchise history on Saturday, receiving their rings and unveiling a banner at Barclays Center. They welcomed longtime rivals, the Las Vegas Aces, along with reigning MVP A’ja Wilson. The game lived up to the hype, but the Liberty pulled away late to secure a 98-72 win at home. Wilson was dominant with 31 points and 16 rebounds, but Breanna Stewart led the way for New York with 25. Newcomer Natasha Cloud made a statement in her Liberty debut, finishing with 22 points and energizing the home crowd with her play on both ends.
It was a back-and-forth opening quarter, with Wilson leading all scorers with 11. A three-point play from Dana Evans helped the Aces take a narrow 20-19 lead after one. The second quarter, however, was all Liberty. Las Vegas didn’t hit its first field goal until the five-minute mark and was held to just 13 points in the period. New York capitalized on the cold stretch and surged ahead, taking a 47-33 lead into halftime. The Aces responded in the third. Jackie Young, who had just five points in the first half, sparked the offense with nine quick points. Las Vegas outscored New York 25-16 in the quarter and trimmed the lead to just five heading into the fourth, setting the stage for another classic battle between two of the league’s best teams.
The final quarter delivered on that promise—if only for a moment. Wilson completed a three-point play to cut the lead to two, sparking a surge that suggested momentum was shifting. However, Cloud, steady and fearless, answered immediately. She converted back-to-back three-point plays of her own, silencing the Aces’ rally and pushing the lead back to eight with six minutes remaining. From there, New York clamped down on defense and closed the game with a dominant run. The victory gave Liberty fans one more reason to celebrate on a night already filled with milestones. It was a testament to the team’s resilience and poise under pressure, qualities they’d need to repeat if they wanted to claim another championship.
