Sabrina Ionescu led the New York Liberty with 22 points, helping her team defeat the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, 76-62 on Sunday in the semifinal series, to advance to the WNBA Finals. The Liberty’s win marks the end of the Aces' hopes of securing back-to-back-to-back titles. Ionescu’s offensive outburst was supported by Breanna Stewart, who added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Jonquel Jones, who added 14 points. The Liberty, who will now compete for their first WNBA title, will face either the Connecticut Sun or the Minnesota Lynx in the Finals.

The Liberty, who secured home-court advantage by finishing with the best regular season record, set the tone for the series with a commanding win in Game 1 and a narrow nail-biter in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead. The Aces responded in Game 3 with their first victory of the semifinal series.

Entering Game 4, New York aimed to avoid becoming only the second team in WNBA history to lose Games 3 and 4 after winning the first two in a best-of-five series. Defensively, the Liberty were impressive, holding Las Vegas to just under 33% shooting from the field and limiting them to 62 points, their lowest output of the season, including playoffs.

Sabrina Ionescu bounces back in Liberty's Game 4 vs. Aces

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Ionescu’s offensive outburst in Game 4 was particularly impressive after being held to just four points in Game 3. She nailed her first shot just three minutes into the game, setting the tone early, and finished the first quarter with three 3-pointers. By the end of the game, her performance, coupled with New York’s relentless defense, ensured the Aces would not make another run.

Las Vegas had standout moments in Game 4, with A’ja Wilson scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Kelsey Plum added 17 points. However, the absence of Kiah Stokes, who missed her second straight game due to a concussion, left the Aces vulnerable in the paint and struggling to find rhythm on offense.

With the series win, the Liberty now advance to their sixth WNBA Finals, per the Associated Press, where they will seek their first-ever championship. The finals series begins Thursday.