Liberty vs. Aces final score, results: Short-handed Las Vegas finish off back-to-back WNBA championships

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Emily Dozier
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• 7 min read
Becky Hammon, A'ja Wilson
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Aced it.

Las Vegas wins back-to-back WNBA Championships by beating the Liberty 70-69 in Game 4. It came down to the final seconds, but a long shot from New York's Courtney Vandersloot secured the Aces' title.

The Aces played without key players Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, who both were out due to foot injuries. Stokes's occurred Tuesday, while Gray left in the middle of Game 3. It didn't matter. A'ja Wilson left no doubt about her team's grit and persistence. She led the floor with 24 points to earn Finals MVP. 

It was nothing short of a heartbreaker for the home team.

The Liberty led by as much as 12, taking that margin early in the third quarter. But the Aces did what the Aces do best, outscoring their opponents by 11 points in the third quarter. In the final quarter, New York was able to find a rhythm of some sort, putting an end to Las Vegas's run. It wasn't enough, though, and while Betnijah Laney and Vandersloot were able to tie the game twice with five minutes left, it wasn't enough. With 90 seconds left, the Liberty were unable to come back from a six-point deficit. 

Vandersloot may have missed the final basket, but she came up big for the Liberty with 19 points. The league's MVP Breana Stewart had one of her worst nights of the season, going 3-17 from the field.

Las Vegas is the first team to win consecutive titles since the Sparks in 2002. At this rate, there's nothing stopping Wilson and coach Becky Hammon from winning a third.

MORE: Injury timeline, latest updates on Chelsea Gray in WNBA Finals

The Sporting News tracked live updates and highlights from Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.

Liberty vs. Aces score

  1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Final
Liberty 23 16 12 18 69
Aces 13 17 23 17 70

Liberty vs. Aces results, highlights from Game 4 of WNBA Finals

Final: Liberty 69, Aces 70

10:15 p.m. – That's game! The Aces are back-to-back WNBA Champions!

10:10 p.m. – CLUTCH. Sloot and Sabrina combine for five points and a steal to bring New York within one.

10:08 p.m. – Wilson gives the Aces a six-point lead with only 90 seconds left. Can the Liberty bounce back in time?

9:57 p.m. – TIE. GAME. New York goes on a 9-2 run to draw it even at 62.

9:50 p.m. – Don't count the Liberty out! After a 16-2 run by Vegas, Laney brings New York within five followed by a running three from Ionescu. The Liberty trail 60-58 with 6:34 left in regulation.

9:46 p.m. – Fire us up, Jackie! 

End of third quarter: Liberty 51, Aces 53

9:41 p.m. – The Liberty led as much as 12 in the third quarter, but the Aces live up to their title as the best third quarter team in the W.

9:38 p.m. – And we're tied! Clark's layup makes it even at 51.

8:35 p.m. – A'ja Wilson doing A;ja Wilson things. She's scored Vegas's last nine points.

8:32 p.m. – What is happening to the Liberty? The offense can't connect, missing open threes and easy layups. Las Vegas is on a 7-0 run.

9:27 p.m. – The Aces trail 46-40 at the Liberty timeout, but are slowly climbing their way back. Wilson and George lead with 11 points a piece.

End of second quarter: Liberty 39, Aces 30

9:00 p.m. – Las Vegas made some noise, but New York closes out the half on a 10-2 run.

8:57 p.m. – Another missed shot from Stewie. The league's MVP is 1-8 from the field tonight.

8:50 p.m. – The Aces are inching back! Wilson makes it a one-point game on the layup. It's her ninth point of the night,

8:40 p.m. – Jones shuts Plum DOWN.

8:33 p.m. – There's no getting past Wilson. With her latest denial, she moves into fourth in All-Time Postseason blocks.

End of first quarter: Liberty 23, Aces 13 

8:25 p.m. – It's all Laney! Her layup makes it a14-2 run for New York, who lead 19-11 with 1:16 on the clock.

8:19 p.m. – This time, it's a three from Ionescu! The Liberty take their first lead of the game 11-9. Timeout, aces.

8:16 p.m. – Vandersloot knocks it down from three! Still, the Aces lead early 9-8 with 5:46 left in the first quarter.

8:10 p.m. – And we're off! Can the Liberty carry momentum over from Game 3, or will the Aces close it out after an emotional few days?

7:50 p.m. – Here's how we line up:

Las Vegas

  • Kelsey Plum
  • Jackie Young
  • A'ja Wilson
  • Alysha Clark
  • Cayla George

New York

  • Courtney Vandersloot
  • Sabrina Ionescu
  • Betnijah Laney
  • Breanna Stewart
  • Jonquel Jones

7:18 p.m. – With two key defenders out of the lineup, Becky Hammon says the Aces will take an...unexpected approach to its defense tonight.

How to watch Game 4 of Liberty vs. Aces 

  • Date: Wednesday, Oct. 18
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET
  • TV channel: ESPN
  • Live stream: Sling TV

Game 4 tips off Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. ET live from Barclays Center. The game will air on ESPN but can also be streamed on Sling TV.

Sign up for Sling TV to watch your favorite live sports, news and entertainment. There are no long-term contracts, and you can change your channel lineup anytime. Sling base packages (Sling Orange or Sling Blue) start at $40 per month. Sling Orange + Blue starts at $55 per month. DVR is included along with thousands of on-demand shows and movies.

WNBA Finals schedule

Game Date Time (ET)/Result Location TV channel
Game 1 Oct. 8 Aces 99, Liberty 82 Las Vegas ABC
Game 2 Oct. 11 Aces 104, Liberty 76 Las Vegas ESPN
Game 3 Oct. 15 Liberty 87, Aces 73 New York ABC
Game 4 Oct. 18 8 p.m. New York ESPN
Game 5* Oct. 20 9 p.m. Las Vegas ESPN

*If necessary

Author(s)
Emily Dozier Photo
Emily Dozier

Emily Dozier is an editorial intern at The Sporting News

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