Liberty Crush Short-Handed Aces
WNBA New York Liberty

Liberty Crush Short-Handed Aces

Published on August 9, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
New York Liberty News Release


NEW YORK - The New York Liberty (20-13) earned a dominant win over the Aces (22-11), 111-71, marking the third-largest margin of victory in franchise history.

Marine Johannès led the Liberty with a career-high 27 points off the bench while shooting 64.3 percent (9-for-14) from the field and matching her career high with seven 3-pointers on 58.3 percent (7-for-12) shooting from deep, adding three assists and a steal. Johannès recorded her 13th career game in a Liberty uniform with at least five made 3-pointers, the second-most such games in franchise history behind Sabrina Ionescu. She scored 20 points in the second half, a career high for any half, and tied her career high for made 3-pointers in a quarter with four in the fourth. Johannès recorded her 12th game scoring at least 15 points off the bench, the second-most in Liberty franchise history behind Becky Hammon. She surpassed her previous career high for 3-pointers in a single season (65) and matched the franchise record for 3-pointers off the bench in a single game while becoming the seventh reserve in WNBA history to make seven 3-pointers in a single game.

Jonquel Jones added 15 points on 62.5 percent (5-for-8) shooting from the field and 50 percent (3-for-6) shooting from long range as she connected on her 200th 3-pointer in a Liberty uniform. Jones added eight rebounds, two assists and two steals in just 19 minutes as she became the first player in the WNBA this season to record multiple quarters of 12 points, three rebounds and multiple 3-pointers while shooting at least 65 percent from the field.

Breanna Stewart put up 14 points, four rebounds and four assists with a steal and a block. Stewart became the first player in Liberty franchise history to reach 200 blocks and joined Sylvia Fowles as the only players in league history to record at least 200 blocks each with multiple franchises. She recorded her 11th straight game with a block, matching the longest such streak of her career, and her 23rd consecutive game scoring in double figures. Stewart also made her 1,000th field goal in a Liberty uniform, becoming the second-fastest player in franchise history to reach that mark (141 games).

Rebecca Allen contributed 13 points on 71.4 percent (5-for-7) shooting from the field with a pair of 3-pointers, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Allen's eight rebounds were her most in a game since June 30, 2024. She recorded back-to-back games of multiple steals in a Liberty uniform for the first time since 2021. This marks the third time in Allen's career that she scored in double figures while recording multiple steals in consecutive games and the first time since 2021, also with New York.

Han Xu added 14 points on 71.4 percent (5-for-7) shooting from the field while adding five rebounds, one steal and a block. Rebekah Gardner put up 11 points and a season-high seven rebounds, including four offensive boards to match her career high, to go with one steal and a block. Marine Fauthoux dished out a career-high nine assists with three rebounds off the bench.

New York opened the game on a 15-4 run and held a 24-15 lead after the first quarter. The Liberty outrebounded the Aces 14-7 in the opening frame, including a 4-0 margin on the offensive glass. New York's defense has held opponents to 18 points or fewer in the first quarter of four consecutive games, marking the team's longest streak this season. The Liberty went on a 14-5 run from 6:53 to 2:32 in the second while outscoring the Aces 16-6 in the paint during the quarter to take a 50-39 lead into halftime.

The Liberty doubled the Aces in the third period, 24-12, including a 15-6 run from 6:29 to 1:45 to enter the fourth quarter with a 74-51 advantage. Las Vegas did not score in the third quarter until the 4:22 mark, and the Liberty defense held the Aces to 31.2 percent (5-for-16) from the field and 11.1 percent (1-for-9) from beyond the arc in the third. New York shot 71.4 percent (15-for-21) from the field and 55.6 percent (5-for-9) from long range in the fourth quarter, including a 9-0 run from 8:25 to 6:00, to close out a 111-71 win. The Liberty's 37 points in the fourth quarter set a season high for points in any quarter, and the 15 field goals in the frame were also a season high for any quarter this season. New York's 22 field goals in the second half tied the team's season high for any half.

Six Liberty players scored in double figures for the third time this season, with the reserves putting up 58 points for the Liberty's third-highest bench scoring total in franchise history, and the team's highest since 2016. New York outscored Las Vegas 52-26 in the paint and 13-4 on second-chance points while setting a franchise record for consecutive games with 10 or more second-chance points (15).

New York has scored at least 92 points in eight consecutive games, the longest such streak in WNBA history. The Liberty's 111 points marked the second time the team scored more than 110 in a game this season, the first time in franchise history New York has done so multiple times in the same season. This was the third-largest margin of victory in franchise history and the team's largest win over Las Vegas in franchise history. With the win, Chris DeMarco became the fastest head coach in franchise history to reach 20 wins (33 games).

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