The Aces end a 5-game skid to Liberty to avoid being swept in Game 3

LAS VEGAS — Jackie Young scored 24 points and the Las Vegas Aces dominated by 16 points in the third quarter Friday night to avoid elimination with a 95-81 victory over the New York Liberty in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals.

The Liberty, which leads the series 2-1, will get another chance to shut out the two-time defending champion Aces on Sunday. If Las Vegas wins that, the winner-take-all Game 5 will take place Tuesday in New York.

It was the Aces’ 12th straight home win, breaking the WNBA championship record previously shared by the Los Angeles Sparks (2001–04) and Sacramento Monarchs (2003–06).

Las Vegas finally beat the Liberty this season after New York won all three regular season meetings and the first two games of the series.

Kelsey Bloom scored 20 points, Aja Wilson had 19 points and 14 rebounds, Tiffany Hayes finished with 11 points, and Chelsea Gray finished with 10 points and seven assists. The Aces shot 52.1%, including 40.6% from the three-point line.

Brianna Stewart led Liberty with 19 points, Jonkell Jones and Niara Sabally each scored 11 points, and Leonie Fibic had 10 points.

Sabrina Ionescu, who entered the game averaging 24.5 points in the playoffs, had four points on 1-of-7 shooting. She was shut out until one minute into the fourth quarter when she made a technical free throw.

The first half quickly became a one-sided back-and-forth in the third quarter when the Aces turned a 57-53 lead into 73-53. New York went 7:36 between field goals and scored just six points in the period. Liberty coach Sandy Brondello called a two-timeout to try to stop the Aces’ momentum.

Las Vegas extended its lead to 78-55 at the start of the fourth quarter to take a 21-2 lead.

It looked like the game could go either way when the second half began. Both teams went back and forth in the first 30 minutes, which included 18 lead changes and eight ties.

The Aces played without Kiah Stokes, who suffered a concussion near the end of Game 3.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic sat on the court next to teammate Derek Lively II, coach Jason Kidd and general manager Nico Harrison. The Mavericks’ training camp was in Las Vegas this week. Hall of Famer Cheryl Swoopes and Colorado quarterback Shedor Sanders, a Heisman Trophy front-runner, were also in attendance.