The Liberty couldn’t have started on a worse note in Game 2.
Almost half way into the first quarter, the team only held one basket against the Aces’ 19 points, forcing head coach Sandy Brondello’s hand to go to her bench for any solution.
Kayla Thorton subbed in for Sabrina Ionescu and Stefanie Dolson for Jonquel Jones.
Marine Johannes stole more minutes from Courtney Vandersloot, but it didn’t matter.
The damage couldn’t be salvaged to prevent their first consecutive loss of the season in front of known fan Jason Sudeikis.
The Aces set a record for most points scored in a finals’ first quarter (38) and the dominance only continued to grab a 104-76 win to give them a 2-0 lead going into Game 3.
The Aces’ backcourt ran the game again despite early foul trouble for Jackie Young, who ended with 24 points, followed by Kelsey Plum with 23 and Chelsea Gray with a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists.
The Aces, led by another double-double from A’ja Wilson with 26 points and 15 rebounds, are now a game away from back-to-back WNBA titles.
If accomplished, they will be the first team to pull off the feat.
Despite the dominance, the Aces still had to hold off a gritty Jones, who kept the Liberty in the game, fighting back from the 22-point lead to get within eight at the half.
The former 2021 MVP earned a double-double in the first half of the game, leading the Liberty to outscore the Aces 25-14 in the second quarter while enduring a physical game on both ends of the court.
She led the Liberty with 22 points and 10 rebounds.