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Johannes made 5 of 7 attempts from the 3-point
arc as New York pulled away in the second half for its first Cup
championship. Jonquel Jones added 16 points and 15 rebounds to
earn Most Valuable Player honors, while Breanna Stewart hit for
13 points.
Sabrina Ionescu chipped in 12 points for the Liberty, and
Courtney Vandersloot stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 10
assists and six rebounds. New York canned 15 of 35 3-point tries
(42.9 percent) and dominated the boards 49-28.
Jackie Young scored 16 points for the defending Cup champion
Aces, while Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray each added 15. A'ja
Wilson was limited to nine points on 2-of-10 shooting, making
her 4 of 24 in her last two games against New York.
The victory was worth $30,000 for each Liberty player, and Jones
pocketed an extra $5,000 for winning MVP. Las Vegas players
settled for $10,000 apiece.
The league's two best teams looked like its two worst teams to
start the game. They combined to go scoreless on 14 consecutive
possessions before Wilson hit two free throws with 6:29 left in
the first quarter.
Then New York started finding the range with Johannes supplying
a spark late in the period. She canned two 3-pointers to help
the Liberty take a 17-8 lead, then made two more for a 28-17
advantage with 7:43 left in the first half.
Las Vegas owned the half's remainder, ripping off a 17-4 run
that included 11 unanswered points to end the half. Young's
driving layup with 29.2 seconds remaining put the Aces ahead
34-32 at intermission.
Young nailed a floater for a 39-32 cushion just over a minute
into the third quarter before New York surged. Johannes was
involved again with her fifth 3-pointer as the Liberty grabbed a
56-48 lead going to the fourth.
The game didn't count in the league standings.
--Field Level Media
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