The Las Vegas Aces made a statement on their home floor, taking a commanding 2-0 series lead in the WNBA Finals, with a convincing 104-76 victory over the New York Liberty.
The Aces trio of Jackie Young, A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum proved too much in Game 2, combining for 73 points, nearly outscoring the Liberty themselves in the win as they now sit one win away from becoming the first team to go back-to-back since the 2001-02 Los Angeles Sparks.
Wilson scored a game-high 26 points and 15 rebounds, becoming just the third player in WNBA Finals history to have 25+ points and 15+ rebounds, while Young added 24 points and eight rebounds.
Plum finished with 23 points and eight assists, with Chelsea Gray's playmaking setting the tone for Game 2, recording 11 assists to go with 14 points and six rebounds.
The Aces had the ball moving wire to wire, notching 31 assists on 37 made field goals.
The Liberty have their work cut out for them as the series shifts to New York. In best-of-five series', teams trailing 0-2 have a 0-17 record (0-8 in the Finals). The Liberty are the ninth team to trail 2-0 in the Finals and seven of the previous eight have been swept.
It was another tough night shooting the ball for the Liberty, who connected on just 8-of-35 from the 3-point line (22.8 percent), withSabrina Ionescu, Courtney Vandersloot, and Betnijah Laney combining to shoot 5-of-20 from deep.
The Sporting News tracked all the live updates, stats and highlights from Game 2 of the WNBA Finals below.
Liberty vs Aces score
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| Liberty | 19 | 25 | 13 | 19 | 76 |
| Aces | 36 | 14 | 28 | 24 | 104 |
Liberty vs Aces live score, updates, highlights from Game 2 of WNBA Finals
FINAL: Aces 104, Liberty 76
11:27 p.m. โ That's a wrap from Michelob ULTRA Arena as the Aces take a 2-0 series lead and move one step closer to back-to-back championships.
11:00 p.m. โ The Aces trio of Plum, Young and Wilson combined for 73 points tonight. Ballers.
10:56 p.m. โPlum, Young and Wilson come out of the game for the Aces as they empty the bench leading by 27 points with 3:54 minutes remaining. This one's all but over for the Liberty as they stare down a 2-0 series deficit.
10:48 p.m. โ The Aces are in cruise control in Game 2.
This player coach duo >>> @cgray209 and @BeckyHammon are LOVIN' IT ๐ค#WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/0AZc7pUzDG
โ WNBA (@WNBA) October 12, 2023See AlsoAces 85-74 Sun (Jun 21, 2024) Final Score - ESPNLas Vegas Aces News - WNBAGAME RECAP: Aces Down Mystics 84-75 for 31st Victory, Move 2 Games Ahead of New York - Las Vegas AcesGAME RECAPโThree Aces Score 20+ Points to Lead Las Vegas to 107-95 Win Over Host Sky - Las Vegas Aces
End of third quarter: Aces 80, Liberty 57
10:40 p.m. โ The Aces go into the final frame with a 23-point lead led by A'ja Wilson's 24-point, 12-rebound double-double. Jackie Young has 21 points and Kelsey Plum 17.
10:37 p.m. โJohannes' third assist of the night finds Sabrina for the triple!
.@MarineJ5 finds @sabrina_i20 on the behind the back dime ๐#WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/IpcrKhNKbc
โ WNBA (@WNBA) October 12, 2023
10:23 p.m. โJackie Young in attack mode! She's got 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists so far tonight.
TURN US UP THENNNN @JackieYoung3 ๐ฃ๏ธ#WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/B1XtBDvZyh
โ WNBA (@WNBA) October 12, 2023
10:20 p.m. โThe Aces start the third with a bang, racing out on an 8-0 run to put the lead back into double figures. Aces lead 60-44.
10:15 p.m. โ Star power in the building. Vivica A. Fox and Cynthia Cooper courtside for Game 2.
Talk about iconic, @AllDecade14 and @MsVivicaFox are courtside together to watch the @LVAces and @nyliberty go at it ๐งก#WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/kePnAcB32d
โ WNBA (@WNBA) October 12, 2023
Halftime: Aces 52, Liberty 44
10:00 p.m. โ Make that a 12-0 run for the Liberty and we have a ball game. What a half.
9:53 p.m. โJonquel Jones is doing her best to keep the Liberty in the game. She has a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Vegas' 22-point lead is now just nine points, 50-41.
Ballin' at its finest, @jus242 is gettin' buckets #WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/DQQlrEwTO5
โ WNBA (@WNBA) October 12, 2023
9:50 p.m. โWith five assists tonight Kelsey Plum rewrites the record books, passing her head coach Becky Hammon for the second-most playoff assists in franchise history.
๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐ช@Kelseyplum10 has passed Coach Becky Hammon for second most playoff assists in franchise history!#RaiseTheStakes pic.twitter.com/7W27C38lSs
โ Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) October 12, 2023
9:48 p.m. โ A'ja Wilson putting the moves on Breanna Stewart in the post! Sheesh. Aces lead 50-32.
9:43 p.m. โ Chelsea Gray beats the buzzer in style!
Are you kidding me @cgray209 ๐ฑ#WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/chyvzNY3DP
โ WNBA (@WNBA) October 12, 2023
9:41 p.m. โ Here comes the Liberty! Jonquel Jones scores on back-to-back plays to cap a 7-0 run, cutting the lead down to 15 points. Aces lead 43-28.
End of first quarter: Aces 38, Liberty 19
The Aces race out to a 19-point lead thanks to some crisp ball movement with 12 assists on 14 made field goals.
9:28 p.m. โ Jackie Young makes it 36-15 with the layup as the Aces continue to keep their foot on the gas. Timeout Liberty.
The 36 points are the most the Aces have scored in a quarter all season and a WNBA Finals record for points in a first quarter. The Liberty have their work cut out for them.
9:23 p.m. โ The Aces are ON FIRE! Kelsey Plum gets the and-1 finish to go to make it 27-7 with 3:18 remaining in the period.
9:22 p.m. โ The ball is moving moving!
โ WNBA (@WNBA) October 12, 2023EVERYBODYYYY GETS A TOUCH ๐ค
That @LVAces ball movement went crazy in this play, leading to the @cgray209 knock down #WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/GgSfqn2jQY
9:20 p.m. โ The Liberty are struggling to get anything going on offense, with an ice cold start to the game, going2-of-12 from the field.
9:19 p.m. โ Chelsea Gray bringing the show to Game 2, with the no-look dime to Kiah Stokes! She has four assists already.
The Point Gawddd and no look passes go together real baddddd >>> @cgray209 #WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/JmnEZX2npG
โ WNBA (@WNBA) October 12, 2023
9:12 p.m. โ The Aces are on a mission early, racing out to a14-2 lead, thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers from Kelsey Plum. Timeout Liberty.
Pregame
8:30 p.m. โHere's how we line up:
Aces
- A'ja Wilson
- Chelsea Gray
- Jackie Young
- Kelsey Plum
- Kiah Stokes
Liberty
- Courtney Vandersloot
- Sabrina Ionescu
- Betnijah Laney
- Breanna Stewart
- Jonquel Jones
8:15 p.m. โ Ahead of Game 2, take a look back at the sights and sounds from Game 1.
Sights & sounds from WNBA Finals Game 1 ๐#WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/g0XNDmYzOd
โ WNBA (@WNBA) October 10, 2023
How to watch Game 2 of Liberty vs Aces
- Date: Wednesday, Oct. 11
- Time: 9p.m. ET
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: Sling TV
Game 2 of the WNBA Finals will tip off on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 9 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN, but viewers can also stream the game 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 | 9 p.m. | Las Vegas | ESPN |
| Game 3 | Oct. 15 | 3 p.m. | 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
