The Las Vegas Aces struck first in the WNBA Finals, beating the New York Liberty 99-82 in game 1.
GAME FRAMES 📸#RaiseTheStakes pic.twitter.com/EQV3K3Dn6i
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) October 9, 2023
The battle of the WNBA Supersteams was tight through the first half, before the guard trio of Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, and Kelsey plum exploded for a total of 72 points, powering the game 1 win.
The Aces trailed 49-46 at the half before their second half explosion. Young and Plum had 26 points. Gray added 20 and nine rebounds.
“We know when to push each other, when to relax a little. There’s a trust factor,” said Gray. “If we’re yelling, ‘You gotta do this!’ it’s coming from a good place of just wanting to win. There’s just a kind of chemistry there with us.”
Former league MVP A’ja Wilson added 19 points, eight rebounds and three blocks to the team effort.
On the other side, the 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart had 21 points and 9 rebounds, while Jonquel Jones added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Off the bench, Marinne Johannes added a spark of 14 points, including four wild threes in the first half. But it was still not enough.
The Liberty and Aces will now prepare for Game 2 on Wednesday on ESPN.
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