Liberty vs. Aces: Sabrina Ionescu's hard work to improve inside-the-arc game pays off late in Game 2

Ionescu made it her mission to improve her inside game this season, and she put those skills on display on Tuesday

After a historic 3-point shooting campaign last summer, Sabrina Ionescu made it her mission to level up her inside-the-arc game during the offseason. All of her hard work paid off on Tuesday night, as she used her dribble-drive skills to put the New York Liberty on her back late in their 88-84 win over the Las Vegas Aces in Game 2 of their semifinal series. 

"Sabrina was massive down the stretch there," Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said. 

Thanks to the hard-fought win, the Liberty have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five matchup, and are now just one win away from getting revenge on the Aces and returning to the Finals for the second consecutive season. Since best-of-five series were first introduced in 2005, no team has ever blown a 2-0 lead. 

Ionescu finished the night with 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists on 9 of 18 from the field. In the process, she joined Diana Taurasi as the only players in WNBA history with at least 20 points and five assists on 50% shooting in three consecutive playoff games. 

She had nine of those points and an assist in the final 5:08, when she took over the game to ensure the Liberty did not blow a double-digit second-half lead. 

After A'ja Wilson had cut the deficit to two with just over five minutes left -- to that point the closest the game had been since the second quarter -- Ionescu responded immediately with a driving layup in which she finished over Wilson's outstretched arm. 

That's not a play we saw her make last season, particularly in the playoffs, when she was too affected by opponents' physicality and pressure. She made just 16 total two-pointers in 10 games during the Liberty's run to the Finals in 2023, and has already made 21 shots inside the arc in the first four games this postseason. 

"I have my 3-point shot but to continue to help the team to be able to just manipulate defenses and get into the paint which allows the extra pass, defenses to collapse," Ionescu told The Next earlier this season about her new approach. "My ability to go up, get fouled and understanding that sometimes the three point shots [are] not going to go in and sometimes defenses are going to guard it really well." 

As the clock ticked toward two minutes remaining, the Liberty's lead was down to one when a fitting sequence ensued. Ionescu missed a 3-pointer, but Jonquel Jones recovered the offensive rebound and got it back to her point guard, who drove and created a layup for Breanna Stewart with a slick pass. 

On the next two trips, Ionescu hit a tough runner and a pull-up jumper, the latter of which came after the Aces had tied it on an Alysha Clark 3-pointer, and gave the Liberty the lead for good with 1:15 to play. 

"Kinda saw some great openings, knew they were great shots for me and was able to see a few go through," Ionescu said. "Obviously, I always want to take those shots, make or miss. It's something that I've always done my entire career is made a lot of big shots, missed a lot of big shots. My teammates are always continuing to pour into me. They need me in that moment. They know that I'm built for it."

The difference in Ionescu's two-point scoring this season was staggering. 

Restricted area

In the paint (non-restricted area)

Midrange

So far in the playoffs, Ionescu has been even better. She's a perfect 7 of 7 in the restricted area, and shooting 47.4% in the paint (non-RA) and 62.5% in the midrange. 

It's easy to point to new addition Leonie Fiebich and a better defense, but Ionescu's internal development is arguably the biggest reason the Liberty are on the verge of eliminating the defending champions and marching on to the Finals, where they would be favored to win the first title in franchise history. 

Ionescu isn't going to let her team look that far ahead. 

"Being up 2-0 is great, but we haven't won anything," Ionescu said. "Everyone knows that. Did what we were supposed to do, protect home court. Win two at home. We're not patting ourselves on the back, talking how happy we are. We didn't come to win two games at home and be satisfied, we're a hungry group."