Liberty get another chance to clinch WNBA Finals berth after Game 3 unraveling
They certainly wouldn’t be the first to visit Las Vegas and lose their poise.But for the first time this postseason, the Liberty were rattled.They couldn’t stop the Aces on defense.They couldn’t find a bucket on offense, no matter where they went.
They looked lost, unable to collect themselves.And the raucous crowd inside Michelob ULTRA Arena went wild.Despite going into halftime trailing just 52-49, the Liberty allowed the Aces to go on a 16-0 run in the third quarter en route to their 95-81 win Friday night to stave off elimination in Game 3 of their best-of-five series.After cruising through the first two games at home at Barclays Center, the Liberty unraveled in Las Vegas.“Obviously, playing on your home court is a little bit different,” Liberty star Breanna Stewart said after the game.“You build confidence behind that, Vegas did that.
We got a little bit sped up offensively.Whether they score or not, it’s fine, but we have to also get a score.
It was 52-49 at half, and then a 16-0 run is ridiculous.”The Liberty owned a 16-4 record at home during the regular season, equal with their 16-4 record on the road.The Aces were actually slightly better on the road during the regular season, owning a 14-6 record compared to a 13-7 record at home.But their home-court advantage Friday night was glaring.Once the Aces grabbed momentum in the third quarter, the Liberty spiraled.
And they couldn’t compose themselves.They shot just 38.8 percent from the field in the loss, by far their worst of the postseason.During the first two games, which they won by a combined 14 points, the Liberty shot a combined 49.6 percent from the field.“They brought the physicality,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said.
“They were intentional in how they wanted to play.There was a little less separation.
It was like they were more connected than they were in those other games.That’s gonna happen.“They saw success and then it gave them more energy.
We kind of got...