The WNBA semifinals kicked off on Sunday with two highly-entertaining games. The No. 1-seed New York Liberty took care of the No. 4-seed Las Vegas Aces, winning 87-77, and the No. 3-seed Connecticut Sun defeated the No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx 73-70 on the road.
As these are a best-of-five series, elimination is not on the table for any teams heading into Game 2. However, the losers of Game 1 will be searching to even the series before we switch locations for Game 3.
Here is the recap on how New York and Connecticut handled business:
Breanna Stewart is good at basketball
It was the Breanna Stewart show in Brooklyn. She scored 34 points on 12-for-19 shooting for the Liberty, as the Aces never found a defender who could slow her down. It’s just one game, but if she proves to be unguardable, then maybe the Aces’ three-peat dreams are truly dead.
Breanna Stewart getting it done on both ends. -Switches, switches back, there on the catch on the backdoor cut. -Pushes and hits a 3 in transition pic.twitter.com/oZZeKsgN0g
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) September 29, 2024
Even if it was the Stewart show, you need a good game from more than one player to beat Las Vegas. Sabrina Ionescu was sensational, scoring 21, eight of which she scored in the fourth quarter. Jonquel Jones had one of the quietest double-doubles you’ll ever see, but she also was effective, ending the afternoon with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Las Vegas lost, but they never relented. While New York was in control the entire game, never trailing and leading by as many as 18 points, the Aces kept going on runs and cut the gap multiple times. They had a 7-0 scoring burst in the second quarter, a 12-0 run in the third and got the deficit under double digits in the fourth.
Kelsey Plum was a big reason why the Aces kept hanging around. She led the team in scoring with 24 points and stayed aggressive all game long. Plum even had a back-and-forth moment with famous New York basketball fan Spike Lee from the sidelines.
In the end, the Aces couldn’t get A’ja Wilson involved enough offensively, and they looked more like a No. 4 seed than title contenders. Another victory by the Liberty would put their backs against the wall, but for now, they will focus on stealing Game 2 on the road.
Sun finish strong
The Sun-Lynx matchup was a defensive battle, and Minnesota was in front to start the fourth.
However, Connecticut clamped Minnesota in the final frame, allowing them to score just eight points. Minnesota still had an opportunity to tie the game on their final possession, but Connecticut didn’t give them a good look at the basket. The Lynx had to settle for a desperation 3-pointer by Naphessa Collier, which didn’t go in.
Defense wins games, but Marina Mabrey’s offense kept the Sun in this one. Mabrey’s addition has raised the ceiling of this team, and her 20 points, including six 3-pointers, are a big reason the Sun are up 1-0 in this series.
Alyssa Thomas was her superstar self for Connecticut, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 boards. DeWanna Bonner struggled most of the night, but still had 10 points and 11 rebounds; she also was a key player in that final defensive stop.
The Lynx will now look to bounce back in Game 2 by seeing what they can do to slowdown Mabrey and how they can get a bit more offensive production. It can’t just be the Collier show on Tuesday, or they’ll be down 0-2 heading to Connecticut and in danger of getting swept.
