“They just kicked our ass in every area of the game I thought.”
That’s what head coach Becky Hammon said after the Liberty showcased a potent offense and stifling defense while outhusting her Las Vegas Aces team during Sunday’s Game 1 semifinals loss.
And it’s a fair, candid admission moments following a Breanna Stewart performance — on both ends — headlined a 87-77 Game 1 victory against the two-time defending champions.
On Sunday, Stewart played the role as a roaming free safety that was fitting for an NFL game that took place simultaneously at MetLife Stadium. Liberty head coach Sandy Brodello gave her superstar forward the autonomy to provide off-ball help throughout the season. But she enjoyed even more freedom to roam Sunday dealing with Aces center Kiah Stokes on defense. As much firepower the Aces’ starting lineup possess, there isn’t much to worry about with Stokes, who averaged 1.4 points on 32% shooting from the field and and 26% from downtown during the regular season.
It took less than two minutes to foreshadow what the Stewart-Stokes matchup would entail for the Aces. With Stokes in the corner, Kelsey Plum drove to the paint on the same side but was quickly turned away by a helping Stewart. The possession still ended with points as Plum drained a trey over Leonie Fiebich for three of her 24 points in the outing. Minutes later, however, Jackie Young was forced to kick out to the perimeter on her drive in a possession that eventually led to a Chelsea Gray misfire from deep.
Not only did it stifle the guards, but it kept A’ja Wilson from erupting for a monster game the WNBA got accustomed to seeing during her 2024 MVP campaign. Wilson constantly dealt with multiples defenders, sometimes both Stewart and primary defender Jonquel Jones — two WNBA All-Defensive Team selections. The Aces superstar finished with 21 points and six rebounds, both below her 27-point, 12-rebound averages.
“Yeah it’s amazing,” Jonquel Jones said of Stewart’s help defense. “I think that’s the main thing playing with Vegas is you have to help off of those players and be able to stop their main players. But when you have someone as athletic and knows the game as well as Stewie, it really helps out a lot. So I’m happy to have it. It’s not a job that I can do by myself. We need everybody locked in to be able to stop a player like A’ja.”
“I think she came out with a goal and that was [to] win,” Fiebich said of Jones, who finished with 13 points, 12 boards, one steal and one block. “And I feel like she did everything for it. It’s just really important for us to have her on both sides of the floor and to not let her get into her frustration.”
In past matchups, Brondello essentially playing five-on-four, diverting much attention away from Stokes while Stewart honed in on Wilson or one of the superstar guards. Brondello went to the same matchup in the decisive WNBA Finals Game 4 last year dealing with center Cayla George, who started in place of the injured Stokes.
George drained three of 10 treys in the one-point Liberty loss, converting timely baskets in the tight matchup. This time around, Stokes posed no such threat. And her empty minutes just floating around the perimeter make the Aces’ margin for error on offense that much smaller with Stewart using her length to blow up plays around the court.
Her first — and only — shot of the game was an airball at the 6:15 mark in the first quarter. She totaled just a rebound and a turnover in loss. It was a performance that’ll force Hammon to make an adjustment that could lead to a benching in favor of reliable reserve Alysha Clark.
The same free safety, however, helped off Clark to use her seven-foot wingspan to go from the weak side, into the paint and intercept Gray’s pass to Young in the opening period. It was one of her two steals to go along with a block in the outing. And the Aces had no answer for her quick offense on the other end that resulted in a game-high 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting.
This kind of performance was missing during last season’s WNBA Finals between the two teams.
“I’ve grown from it,” Stewart said her of shortcomings during the 2023 postseason. She eventually averaged 16 points, a steal and 0.5 blocks in the final round.
“Unfortunately [I] had a lot of time to reflect about it, last year’s postseason, and where can I be better?”
Stewart then added: “Every opportunity I get I’m going to continue to be better.”
Game 1 of the 2024 semifinals was undoubtedly “better.” And the supporting cast didn’t go unnoticed either. Fiebich continued to prove Brondello right by adding her to the starting lineup. She blew up screens and closed out Aces possessions that drained the shot clock.
speaking of, what a possession: https://t.co/hAcG0EPL9C pic.twitter.com/falY4rG6PJ
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 29, 2024
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was a disruptor from the tip, getting two steals in the opening minutes and remaining locked in despite a lackluster offensive performance (1-for-6 from the field).
“I thought their length bothered us,” Hammon said. “Ball stuck a little too much for me.”
After one postseason matchup between the two teams, the length and defensive versatility is the main difference from last postseason. It’ll surely get Hammon to adjust.
But regardless of what she throws at them, the Liberty are making strides to dethrone the two-time defending champs.