Aussie Cayla George comes up clutch in thriller to win WNBA championship

Australia’s Cayla George has come up clutch for the Las Vegas Aces as she starred in their historic WNBA championship win.

Australia’s Cayla George is a WNBA champion. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Australian Cayla George has won the WNBA championship, playing a key role in the Las Vegas Aces’ title-clinching win over the New York Liberty on Thursday (AEDT).

The Aces and Liberty were clearly the best two teams all season and battled it out in the WNBA Finals, which culminated in Las Vegas’ thrilling 70-69 win in Game 4 to wrap up the series 3-1.

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With a depleted line-up missing injured stars Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, George was elevated to Las Vegas’ starting five for the first time this season and she delivered.

The 34-year-old let it rain from long range and finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes of game time.

The Aces mounted a third quarter comeback and managed to just hold on to close out their second championship in a row.

GO OFF THEN 🎯@CaylaGeorge22 is steppin' up big for the @lvaces on ESPN#WNBAFinals | @YouTubeTVpic.twitter.com/uy3JJc92VR

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 19, 2023

Give vet Cayla George a huge hand ... she stepped in for the rare start as @LVAces dealt with injuries and played 30 minutes tonight, finishing with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. What a great game in her career.

— Michael Voepel (@MAVoepel) October 19, 2023

LAS VEGAS ACES WIN!!!!!
Cayla George starts for the first time all season and has a career high playoff 11pts and is a WNBA Champion!!!

— HER WAY (@abbieherway) October 19, 2023

The Aces made 5 threes in that closeout game.

Cayla George made 3 of them.

Had not hit one since September 8th. Stay ready.

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) October 19, 2023

Cayla George today became the latest Australian to win a @WNBA championship joining an illustrious list including @laurenej15, Penny Taylor, Erin Phillips, @Bevilaqua41, Belinda Snell, Abby Bishop, Alison Lacey, Rachel Jarry, Sami Whitcomb and Ezi Magbegor.

— Megan Hustwaite (@MeganHustwaite) October 19, 2023

George joins an illustrious list of Australians to win a WNBA title that includes Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor, Sami Whitcomb, Ezi Magbegor, Erin Phillips, Alison Lacey, Abby Bishop and Rachel Jarry.

Cayla George kept New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart quiet. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Absolute scenes as the Aussie celebrated winning the WNBA title. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

On the flip side, Liberty’s Australian coach Sandy Brondello, who also coaches the Opals, was left thinking what might of been.

Without Gray and Stokes, the Aces still managed to earn back-to-back titles — the WNBA’s first in 21 years — as they rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit.

The Liberty superteam came up short when Courtney Vandersloot’s last-second three-pointer was off the mark.

A’ja Wilson — named Finals MVP — led the Aces with 24 points and 16 rebounds, followed by Jackie Young and George with 16 and 11 points, respectively, in front of raucous capacity crowd that included celebrities such as Sue Bird, Jason Sudeikis, Nate Burleson, Issa Rae and Fat Joe.

The Aces limited Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart, who were the difference-makers in Game 3, to a combined 16 points.

Jones finished 3-for-8 from the field while Stewart, the regular-season MVP, was a dismal 3-for-17.

— With NY Post