USWNT announces final friendly match against the Netherlands in 2024

Two games into the best-of-three WNBA semifinals in 2024 and back-to-back defending champion Aces top the qualifiers while the Lynx tied the score last night.

With Friday’s Game 3 involving a change of venue, Las Vegas will need every ounce of home court advantage to continue its playoff push while Minnesota’s goal is to silence the fans in Connecticut.

The Aces were one step away from elimination after losing the second match

Tuesday’s second straight loss, an 88-84 loss to No. 1 seed Liberty in Brooklyn, left No. 4 seed Las Vegas within one step of playoff elimination. The Aces are now the first reigning champions to fall 0-2 in a WNBA playoff series.

Las Vegas has yet to conquer the Liberty this season, setting a franchise record five straight times against the same opponent, all after beating New York in the 2023 WNBA Finals.

New York’s Sabrina Ionescu and Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson led their teams with 24 points each, and Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot provided the decisive spark off the bench.

If Las Vegas turns things around when the series moves to Nevada on Friday, it will become the first team to bounce back from an 0-2 record to reach the WNBA Finals.

Aces defender Chelsea Gray took a positive approach to the challenge, saying: “I love making a mark in the history books, so I might as well start there. That will be our mentality.”

The Lynx advance with a semifinal victory in Game 2 in Minnesota

No. 2 seed Minnesota evened its semifinal score against No. 3 seed Connecticut on Tuesday, winning 77-70 in Minneapolis and sending the series back east with one win each.

Courtney Williams led the Lynx with 17 points while Minnesota’s physical defense held the Sun to under 40% from the field.

With the loss, Sun forward DeWanna Bonner became the third-leading scorer all-time in WNBA postseason history. She also entered the league record book as the player with the most playoff appearances in history (83 games and counting).

Friday begins a guaranteed two-game series in Connecticut, with the hosts’ goal to reach the finals for the first time since 2022.

How to watch Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals

Las Vegas and Minnesota will be looking to pick up key wins in Friday’s Game 3, and the Aces will face a must-win scenario in front of a promising crowd.

The Lynx will travel to Connecticut for a tipoff at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, October 4, followed by Liberty vs. ET in Las Vegas at 9:30 PM ET. Aces. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN2.