Sabrina Ionescu paused for a second and checked her feet to make sure she was behind the 3-point line. She took a breath then fired, draining a 3 to stretch the New York Liberty lead to 11 points. As she frolicked backward with just over seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter,

Breanna Stewart was on a mission in the New York Liberty’s 87-77 win over the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of their WNBA semifinals series on Sunday. After leading the Liberty with 20 first-half points, Stewart made a bold promise to fans at Barclays Center, telling them she has “a lot to make up for” following last year’s postseason disappointment.

Breanna Stewart did not forget being mocked after last year's WNBA Finals. Stewart shot just 3-17 from the floor in the decisive game that saw the Las Vegas Ace