It took six tries, but the Las Vegas Aces finally defeated the New York Liberty for the first time this year. And now the Aces’ quest for three-peat continues.

Facing an elimination game Friday in the WNBA semifinals, the Aces scored 16 unanswered points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach in a 95-81 win. The Aces led by as many as 25, marking the first time either team had reached a 20-point lead in the series.

After the match, the Aces insisted they don’t feel too comfortable or confident. After all, the team is down 2-1 and faces another elimination match on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC). But Friday looked like a potential turning point: the Aces finally cracked the code against the Liberty, limiting Sabrina Ionescu to four points and getting a better offensive night from their entire backcourt.

Friday’s games were all about momentum. In the earlier semifinal, Minnesota also made a statement with a 90-81 victory over the Connecticut Sun – the Lynx’s second straight victory in the series – to move one win away from their first Finals appearance since 2017. sides of the floor, the Lynx led comfortably for most of the game, including by double digits for much of the fourth quarter.

ESPN looks at how the Aces avoided elimination, how the Lynx (won 2-1) won on the road and how Sunday’s Game 4s could go.

Liberty led the best-of-five series 2-1

The third quarter makes the difference

At halftime on Friday, the Aces led by three points, but it felt like an anyone’s game. There were 18 halftime lead changes, according to Elias Sports Bureau, a WNBA playoff record. Even with the Liberty facing their first halftime deficit of the series, it looked like they could still come away with the sweep if they got Sabrina Ionescu to start (0-for-4 in the first 20 minutes).

The Aces made a statement in the third quarter with their best 10 minutes of the series, asserting their will on both ends. A 16-0 run helped Las Vegas dominate the period 21-6. During that span, a bewildered New York had as many points as turnovers and posted its lowest-scoring playoff quarter since the WNBA adopted the format in 2006. The Aces’ 16 unanswered points marked the second-longest scoring streak against the WNBA. Freedom this season.

As the home crowd waved white rally towels and grew louder with every grueling Las Vegas 3-pointer in that stretch, it felt like this was the re-emergence of the team of two-time defending champion Aces, who had only appeared in flashes this season – and had not made themselves known before this series. And maybe, just maybe, they’re here to stay. — Alexa Filippou

Aces eliminated Ionescu

After Ionescu starred in the first two games of the series in Brooklyn, scoring a total of 45 points on 18 of 33 shooting, she didn’t get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter of Game 3. Ionescu finished with four points — her fewest ever in a playoff game — on 1-of-7 from the field.

Before Game 3, ESPN’s Carolyn Peck called for Las Vegas to trap Ionescu, a move that seemed risky against an experienced passer. The Aces managed to take Ionescu out of the attack without having to use such an aggressive defense. Ionescu’s seven shot attempts were her fewest in any match during the regular season and playoffs, and her five assists were the same total as in Games 1 and 2.

According to ESPN Research, Jackie Young was also more effective in defending Ionescu. After making seven of 10 shots when Young defended in the first two games, Ionescu missed both attempts Friday. — Kevin Pelton

Set tone from the point

The Aces were frustrated by their 11 first-half goals in Game 2. Chelsea Gray pointed out what a big difference that made in what ended up being just a four-point win in New York.

On Friday, Las Vegas was more locked in and took care of the ball from the start. The Aces had only three goals in the first half. And even though they finished with 12 – the same number as in Game 2 – the Aces performed better overall. — Michael Voepel

Can the Aces defend as effectively in Game 4?

That seems to be the biggest key for the Aces, because what they did on Friday really worked. Likewise, Ionescu said after the game that the good thing is that the Liberty now has a day to respond to what the Aces did – essentially throwing three defenders at her on every opportunity – and determine ways to combat that.

“We could see it; that was their adjustment,” Ionescu said. “Now we can watch film and figure out what we need to do to get better. Both teams continue to adjust things, and I think it’s opened our eyes a little bit to what they’ll do in the future.” next match.” — Voepel

Lynx leads the best-of-five series 2-1

Lynx beat Sun at their own game

During the regular season, Minnesota ranked last in the WNBA in points in the paint, averaging 28.1, and instead let it fly from three-point range. Meanwhile, Connecticut finished fourth in points in the paint (38.5) and allowed the fewest team (33.8). So it was no surprise that the Sun won the points-in-the-paint battle through the first two games of this series, including a 38-30 lead in their Game 2 loss.

That turned around in a big way on Friday, when the Lynx’s 48 points in the paint shattered their record from last season (40). Minnesota achieved this mainly with strong ball and player movements. Of the team’s 19 layups, 14 were assisted (74%), and according to Second Spectrum tracking, eight came on cuts. That’s tied for the second-most layups after cuts in all WNBA games during the regular season and playoffs. — Pelton

Defense has doomed Sun

Near the end of the game, ESPN play-by-play announcer Pam Ward said of Minnesota, “This team firing on all cylinders is a thing of beauty.” Firing on all cylinders describes exactly what happened in Game 3 for the Lynx, who shot 57.4% from the field. After scoring 28 points in the first two games of the series, Napheesa Collier outscored all players with 26 points on Friday, while Courtney Williams (16 points, 8 assists) registered her first career playoff game with at least 15 points and eight assists.

For the defensive-minded Sun, this means things went disastrously wrong on that end of the floor. It was by far the worst shooting percentage Connecticut has allowed in any game this season (the previous high was 51.7% against New York on June 8). And because Marina Mabrey had an off night from the three-point arc (she missed her first nine attempts and finished 1-for-11), Connecticut couldn’t keep up. At the very least, the Sun must return to their physical, ruthless defensive identity to prevent the Lynx from finding an offensive rhythm – and to keep their season alive. — Filippou

Can Connecticut avoid a repeat of 2023?

In last year’s WNBA semifinals, the Sun won Game 1 against the Liberty on the road, but lost the next three games and the series. Now Connecticut is one loss away from history repeating itself.

According to ESPN Research, no team other than the Sun has lost multiple best-of-five series after winning Game 1. It’s happened twice for Connecticut: last year and in the 2020 semifinals against the Aces in the “Wubble” neutral setting, a series in which the Sun led 1-0 and 2-1 before losing in five games. — Pelton