CNN
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The New York Liberty became the first WNBA team to secure a playoff spot after their 79-67 away win over the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Saturday.
Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones led the way for the Liberty at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. Ionescu finished with 23 points and six rebounds, Stewart added 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, while Jones had 10 points, 17 rebounds (a game-high) and seven assists.
“We are very happy to have secured a place in the playoffs. Our goal is not only to make it there, but also to continue to win the upcoming games. We have to continue to improve as a team and focus on ourselves,” Ionescu said after the game.
“It’s a really long season. We’ve only just gotten back into the season. It’s nice to see that we’ve been able to pick up where we left off and keep working hard.”
With this win, New York has a franchise-best start at 23-4 and holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Aces. The Liberty will make their 19th postseason appearance in the franchise’s 28-year history.
New York head coach Sandy Brondello is the first coach in WNBA history to lead teams to the playoffs in her first twelve seasons in the league.
New York held the Aces — who fell to 16-9 this season — to just eight points in the second quarter. It was Las Vegas’ first single-digit scoring quarter of the season.
Aces superstar A’ja Wilson finished the game with 24 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. It was Las Vegas’ first game since the month-long Olympic break.
The Liberty will next face the Dallas Wings at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Tuesday, while the Aces will look to bounce back at home against the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday.
