LAS VEGAS — For the second straight season, former Notre Dame guard Jackie Young has the opportunity to bring home a WNBA title. The Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty will begin a best-of-five WNBA Finals series on Sunday, with Game 1 live from Las Vegas on ABC at 3 p.m.
Young, last year’s WNBA Most Improved Player, managed to be a major factor on a star-studded Aces team that holds the top seed in the postseason. The No. 1 overall WNBA Draft selection in 2019, she led the league with a 44.9 clip from behind the arc and posted 17.6 points each time she took the court. Her 52.3 success rate from the floor was the highest in the league amongst guards.
Over five postseason games this year, all of which Las Vegas has won, Young has posted 15.2 points per game and has been a rebounding machine. After averaging 4 boards per game during the regular season, she is posting 6.4 per contest in the postseason and had a team-high 10 rebounds in Game 1 of the semifinals against the Dallas Wings. Young had at least 11 points in each of the five games and is shooting 95.2 percent from the charity stripe in those contests.
After winning last year’s title, Young became the second player in Irish history to win a national championship, WNBA title and Olympic gold medal (Ruth Riley). Should Young earn another professional title, she will match Riley’s two (2003 and 2006).