Aces’ historic 1st quarter offense even more impressive a day later

With the clock winding down in the first quarter, Chelsea Gray received the ball on the left wing.

The reigning WNBA Finals MVP sized up her defender, New York Liberty reserve wing Kayla Thornton, before driving right, toward the free-throw line. A dribble hesitation created some space, and Gray elevated for a trademark mid-range jumper at the top of the key over Thornton.

The high, arcing shot kissed off the front of the rim before settling gently in the basket with 2.6 seconds remaining. It was the Aces’ 38th and final point of the quarter.

“Our physicality went up another level starting the game,” Gray said Wednesday.

The top-seeded Aces’ first-quarter barrage made WNBA Finals history Wednesday, part of a dominant 104-76 Game 2 win against the No. 2 Liberty at Michelob Ultra Arena. The Aces can secure a series sweep and become the first repeat champions in 21 years with a win in Game 3 at noon, Sunday, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

It’s the highest-scoring first quarter of a Finals game in league history. Only the Detroit Shock, who scored 39 points in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Mercury in 2007, have scored more in a quarter during the Finals. The Aces’ 14 made field goals and 12 assists also tied the league’s single-quarter Finals records.

Two-time MVP A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 12 points in the quarter, while All-Star Kelsey Plum scored nine. All five starters made a 3 as the team went 6 of 10 from range. Coach Becky Hammon’s team also shot 70 percent from the field and outrebounded the Liberty 10-7.

They achieved an almost unbelievable offensive rating of 190. For context, the Shock’s offensive rating during their record-setting quarter was 162.5.

“We trust all of us to make the right read, and whoever it is, they’re going to knock it down,” Plum said after the game. “We have a lot of faith in each other like that. I think it’s just a testament of playing team ball.”

Perhaps no sequence demonstrated their willingness to share the ball like Gray’s buzzer-beating 3 with 3:52 remaining in the quarter. The possession began with a Wilson cut, which was defended by the Liberty. But the Aces kept the ball through Plum, who then drove baseline to collapse the defense before kicking out to Young when New York brought a double team.

After a quick exchange with Wilson, Young attacked the lane to force help from Liberty center Jonquel Jones and found a wide-open Alysha Clark in the right corner. As the New York defense scrambled to rotate, the reigning Sixth Player of the Year swung the ball to Gray on the wing, who hit the 3 as the shot clock expired to push the Aces’ lead to 24-7.

“Those girls hooped today,” Hammon said in her postgame interview. “Just hooped.”

Yet the Aces’ defense in the first quarter might have been even more impressive. New York shot 30 percent from the field while going 2 of 10 from 3. Breanna Stewart led New York with seven points in the quarter. No other Liberty player scored more than four or made more than one field goal.

“When we’re great defensively,” Hammon said, “we’re great offensively.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on X.