Liberty fails to complete the sweep as A'ja Wilson and Aces force Game 4

Viva Las Vegas, the Aces are still alive.

The Liberty couldn't beat the two-time defending champions on Friday night in their first chance to return to the WNBA Finals.

With a chance to win the league's best-of-five semifinals against the team that eliminated them in the championship round a year ago, the Liberty were defeated in the second half by league MVP A'ja Wilson and the Aces and lost 95-81, in the Michelob ULTRA Arena.

“They came out and did what they were supposed to do,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said afterward. “We didn't play very well, but they took us out of our rhythm.

“We are still up 2-1 but we have to learn from it. Not a good game. Not happy. I think we lacked discipline. We are a much better team than we showed.”

Sabrina Ionescu, who led the Liberty with 24 points in Game 2, missed her first five shots and finished the game with just four points on 1-for-7 shooting with five turnovers and a minus-23 rating.

Breanna Stewart scored 19 points to lead the Liberty, who will get another chance to tie the series on Sunday afternoon, with a potentially decisive Game 5 scheduled for Tuesday at Barclays Center if necessary.

“It felt like us. It was just a matter of time before we all started clicking,” Wilson said. “But we have to stick with it. This is just a game. That's really nothing. We have to keep going and growing as we try to get to the next level.”

Wilson had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Aces, who have won a league-record 12 straight postseason home games, with Jackie Young adding 24 and Kelsey Plum 20.

“Does anyone play poker?” Vegas coach Becky Hammon asked before the game. “Are you going to sort out pocket aces? We are the aces. We won’t give up.”

Hammon, a Hall of Famer who played the first eight of her 16 WNBA seasons in New York, said earlier this week that her players “frankly haven't had the edge all year … and that's why it's difficult to get three hits.” to achieve.”

The Libs were the No. 2 seed in the playoffs last year and lost the first two games of the Finals in Vegas before losing the series in four games.

The Liberty posted the same 16-4 record both at Barclays Center and away, securing first place in the regular season, plus four straight home wins to open the playoffs against the Atlanta Dream and Aces.

They had also won both of their previous visits to Las Vegas this year.

Still, Ionescu missed all four shots and was blanked in a first half that featured 18 lead changes and ended with the Aces leading 52-49.

Plum then sank a pair of 3-pointers as the Aces went on a 17-0 run in the third period to extend their lead to 73-53, with the Liberty missing 12 consecutive shots and at one point going nearly eight minutes without scoring remained the quarter.

Ionescu finally got on the scoresheet early in the fourth minute, but the Aces extended their lead to as many as 25 to secure at least one more home game and a chance to send the series back to Brooklyn.

“A (17-0) run or whatever is ridiculous,” Stewart said. “This is the time when teams are most dangerous, when their backs are against the wall and they're throwing everything they've got at you. …We weren’t prepared for that. We didn't accept the difficult things. This isn't easy.

“We have to be ready for the next game because it won’t be easy from here.”