The Aces became the first team since 2002 to win back-to-back WNBA championships after claiming the title over the Liberty on Wednesday night.
Las Vegas downed New York in an extremely close 70–69 win in Game 4 at Barclays Center to etch the franchise’s name into history once again.
Aces center A’ja Wilson was named the WNBA finals MVP after clocking her sixth postseason double double. Wilson finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds, while Jackie Young tallied 16 points and seven assists.
Back-to-back CHAMPS 🏆
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 19, 2023
The @LVAces defeat the Liberty 3-1 to win their second straight title, becoming the first team to win consecutive championships since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001-2002#MoreThanGame | WNBA Finals @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/WQ3anPdtSG
The Aces needed to come from behind to win Game 4 as the Liberty dominated for the majority of the game. New York led by nine points heading into the half and kept the lead until 34 seconds remained in third quarter. At that point, Alysha Clark tied the game up at 51 points apiece, providing the spark Las Vegas needed to come back and seal the win.
The fourth quarter remained close, though. The Liberty regained momentum when Sabrina Ionescu made an electric three-pointer to make it a two-point game. From there, the game remained within one score until Young made two free throws with about two minutes remaining to give the Aces a four-point lead.
SAB FROM DEEEEEP 🎯@Sabrina_i20 makes it a 2-PT game for the Liberty on ESPN!#WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/T573mGlT2P
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 19, 2023
The Liberty still had opportunities to come back in the final minute as Courtney Vandersloot and Ionescu made back-to-back jumpers to pull New York back within one with 41 seconds left. However, Vandersloot missed a three-pointer from the corner just before the buzzer, giving Las Vegas the 3–1 series win and a second consecutive title.
