Sunday’s final regular-season matchup between the Liberty and Aces felt way too familiar to the heartbreaking WNBA Finals Game 4 loss last year.

Similarly to how the Aces had two starters out for the title-clinching game, they were without soon-to-be three-time MVP winner A’ja Wilson (foot) on Sunday. And just like last year, the Liberty — on their home floor — entered the second-half with a lead. The Game 4 loss took place after coughing up a nine-point lead.

The Liberty’s lead on Sunday was even greater: 20 points. And they almost handed a game to a road team that didn’t have the league’s best player available.

With fans inside Barclays Center in complete shock, the Liberty trailed, 71-70, with 1:54 remaining in regulation after a Sydney Colson trey. The same Colson that helped execute Becky Hammon’s masterclass game plan in Game 4 with the team missing Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes.

Then after Breanna Stewart missed both of her free throws, Sabrina Ionescu drained a 13-footer with 43.1 seconds remaining to put her team ahead, leading to a 75-71 victory. The bucket saved a spiraling Liberty team headed towards an embarrassing, gut-wrenching loss that should’ve been a comfortable win.

Wilson, who entered Barclays Center in a walking boot, wasn’t on the floor to showcase another one of her all-time finishes. So for an attempt to tie the game, Hammon went to Jackie Young, who got her layup attempt swatted by Stewart to essentially secure the win.

Following Jonquel Jones‘ made free throws that gave her team a four-point lead, Kelsey Plum got her trey blocked by Ionescu. The block prompted celebration from the Liberty star, but it came after Plum torched the home team for 10 points during the fourth-quarter collapse.

It was a result too close for a Liberty team up 20 with 2:21 remaining in the third and up 13 entering the fourth.

Plum, who finished with a game-high 25 points, relied on a mix of treys and contested layups while her teammates celebrated on the bench. But they came just short of playing spoiler on Sunday.

“Experience,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said was the reason her team pulled out the win. “Been there, done that I suppose. Some parts were good parts of our game, but the rest of it wasn’t. We’ve been through so much adversity … We didn’t want to let this one slip.”

The mood inside the Liberty’s postgame press conference room felt like one right after a tough loss. Players — and the coach — fielded more questions on how the game almost slipped away rather than how they managed to complete a regular-season sweep over the two-time defending champions.

“In the third quarter, we kind of had a drop off in our play,” said Jones, who finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists. “And honestly, at the end, it was just … [do] whatever it takes to kind of get a win and focus on the next possession.”

In any other circumstance, a Liberty regular-season sweep against the team that eliminated them in last year’s WNBA Finals is a reason to celebrate. But the late fumble shows that maybe not all demons inside Barclays Center were exorcised.

The Aces have championship DNA and have constantly been through the fire with the same core for years. That’s an advantage they’ll have over the Liberty in a potential postseason matchup down the road.

Despite the regular-season sweep and rocky play throughout the 2024 season, Hammon’s squad has to feel like they can still defeat the Liberty in a playoff series. Without Wilson, Plum put her team on her back down the stretch. The Liberty’s best player, Stewart, went 0-for-5 in the final period and failed to come up clutch — like in moments in the 2023 postseason — with the two missed free throws.

And Hammon’s wild card, Colson, managed to finish +6 in nine minutes after contributing eight points, two steals, and a block off the bench.

“They beat us last year in the Finals on our home court with two starters out,” Ionescu said. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter, everyone in this league is amazing, and they’re a very experienced team. They’ve kind of been there, done that. They’ve won multiple championships. They understand what it takes to win. And those teams are dangerous.”

The candid Ionescu then acknowledged that the way her team ended Sunday’s matchup is not how they’ll end up the last team standing in 2024.

“If you come into a game like this and take your foot off the gas and relax, because their best player’s out, [you] kind of run the chance of losing. I think we played a little bit not to lose there at the end instead of just continuing to chip away and win.

“Obviously, really glad we came out with the win but definitely can’t play like that again.”

For now, the Liberty will take the win but wait for updates on Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. The star two-way guard exited the game in the fourth after appearing to injure her right knee. Laney-Hamilton collided with teammate Jones and fell to the ground. The home crowd went silent until Laney-Hamilton walked off on her own power.

The same right knee underwent a procedure right before the Olympic break.

“Not yet,” Brondello said postgame when asked for updates. “She was in the locker room. Just praying that she will be OK. She got hit pretty hard. So let’s see what the doc says. She’s getting evaluated now.”

Originally Published: September 8, 2024 at 7:08 p.m.