| GAME LEADERS | NEW YORK | LAS VEGAS |
| POINTS | Kea (14) | Wilson (20) |
| REBOUNDS | Zahui B (21)* | Hamby (10) |
| ASSISTS | Clarendon (4) | Robinson (6) |
*Liberty Single-Game Franchise Record*
The New York Liberty join the WNBA in recognizing Kimberlé Crenshaw, co-founder of The African American Policy Forum (AAPF). Founded in 1996, AAPF is an innovative think tank that connects academics, activists and policy-makers to promote efforts to dismantle structural inequality. AAPF also created the #SayHerName Campaign in 2016 to bring awareness to the often-invisible names and stories of Black women and girls who have been victimized by racist police violence, and provides support to their families.
TEAM NOTABLES
#SayHerName: It has been 169 days since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her own apartment. The officers responsible for her death (Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankinson, and Myles Cosgrove) have not been arrested.
The Liberty (2-13) fell to the Aces (12-3), 80-63, on Saturday afternoon after a hard-fought three quarters.
New York has won the opening tip off in their last two games. New York lost the tip it in their game against the Sky on August 20. Prior to that, the Liberty had won the opening tip in seven straight contests from August 5 to August 18.
New York shot 33.3% from the field (22-66) and beyond the arc (9-27).
The Liberty tied their season-high with 44 rebounds. The team also had 13 assists, 6 blocks and 26 bench points.
Las Vegas was held to 38.0% shooting from the field by New York, nearly 10% lower than their season average.
Key Runs:
Kayla McBride scored the Aces’ first four points in the first 90 seconds of the game, giving Vegas a 4-0 lead over the Liberty.
New York went on a 9-4 run to take its first lead of the contest with 4:53 remaining in the opening quarter.
Out of the timeout midway through the first quarter, Aja Wilson and the Aces went on an 8-0 run to take a 7-point lead with 2:35 remaining in the first.
New York’s 9-3 run to end the first quarter cut the team’s 7-point deficit to one. Las Vegas outscored New York 19-18.
The Liberty entered the locker room down four points, 39-35, after the Aces outscored them 20-17 in the second quarter.
A 10-6 run to open the second half tied the game at 45 before a 6-0 Aces run with 6:38 remaining.
New York extended its run to 19-12, giving the team a 3-point advantage with less than 2 minutes remaining in the third. A 4-0 run by the Aces helped them regain a 2-point lead. An assist from Nurse to Jones with 39 seconds remaining tied the game at 56 to end the third.
Las Vegas opened the fourth quarter outscoring New York 7-0 with 7:18 remaining in the contest. Out of a New York timeout, Vegas extended its run to 13-0, holding New York scoreless until the 5:24 minute mark.
Ultimately, Vegas outscored New York 24-7 in a dominant fourth quarter performance to secure its fourth consecutive victory and to clinch its 2020 playoff berth.
Up Next: The New York Liberty will take on the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, September 1, at 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and Fox Sports GO.
PLAYER NOTABLES
#SayHerName: It has been 169 days since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her own apartment. The officers responsible for her death (Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankinson, and Myles Cosgrove) have not been arrested.
In her fourth game with the Liberty, Paris Kea broke her career high with a game-high 11 first-half points in just 9:34 minutes. She finished with 14 on 71.4% (5-7) shooting from the field and 66.7% (4-6) beyond the arc.
Amanda Zahui B totaled 6 points including 21 rebounds, 13 of which she nabbed in the first half. Amanda now holds the 2020 record for most first-half rebounds of any player in the W. Entering today’s game, Natasha Howard held this season’s high with 11 first-half rebounds (8/18/20).
Zahui also broke New York’s franchise single-game rebounding record (19, previously held by Tina Charles- 7/14/17) with 21. Glory Johnson and Sylvia Fowles hold the record for most rebounds among active players (22).
Kiah Stokes continued her consistent offensive play adding 12 points and 9 rebounds. Today’s game was her fourth consecutive game in double-digit scoring figures.
Layshia Clarendon recorded 11 points on top of 4 assists and rebounds. Clarendon has now scored 10+ points in 12 of 15 games this season.
Jazmine Jones added 9 points, 5 of which came from the charity stripe.
Kia Nurse shot 50.0% (2-4) from deep and finished with 8 points on the afternoon.
A’ja Wilson led all scorers with 20 points for Las Vegas.
Dearica Hamby finished with a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards off the bench.