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Sabrina Ionescu blew by Jackie Young on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter Tuesday, and Young, in a last-ditch effort, got caught reaching in. 

Ionescu made the layup then celebrated the and-one by flexing her arms and yelling triumphantly toward the crowd. 

The Liberty didn’t just want this win against their rival Aces, they needed it. And Ionescu did everything she could in her power to ensure her team captured the 87-78 victory. 

It was a full team effort and reminder of how unstoppable the Liberty can be when they’re all playing in sync. 

But Ionescu was the conductor of the strong showing. She had precision passes, timely scoring and aggressive drives to the basket. She finished through contact, made nine free throws and encouraged her teammates. 

Ionescu reached 20 points for the third consecutive game and ninth time this season — tallying 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. 

Four other Liberty players scored in double figures in what Kennedy Burke called another “must” win for the defending champions. 

The Liberty were disappointed by the way they played against Seattle this past weekend and were mired in a 3-6 funk. There were plenty of things they knew they could be doing better. 

“I feel like we just needed this win, and we really buckled down and really stayed together when it really counted,” said Burke, who had 10 points and a career-high six steals. “And I mean, it showed tonight how dangerous we can be even when we’re down three [players, including two starters]. So just being ready no matter what because teams are coming after us.” 

The Liberty held a team meeting earlier in the day to discuss their current rut, during which players have been in and out of the lineup because of injuries and EuroBasket. 

The Liberty knew their depth was going to be challenged Tuesday with Jonquel Jones (right ankle), Natasha Cloud (left hip) and Isabelle Harrison (right knee) all out. 

“Sometimes it’s nice to just air things out, put it out in the open,” Breanna Stewart said. “There wasn’t anything immaculate that was said from there, but just giving the space and the opportunity for players to say what’s on their mind and know that we trust this group completely and we have to get back to our confident self.” 

Coach Sandy Brondello has been critical of the Liberty’s effort at times this season. But they outhustled the Aces throughout Tuesday’s game. 

Not only did they win the rebound battle, the Liberty also had arguably their best defensive showing since Jones aggravated her sprained ankle June 19. They also had 21 assists on 30 field goals. 

The Liberty have talked for weeks about needing their defense to fuel their offense. There were sequences, especially in the third quarter, that showed how unstoppable the Liberty can be when they do just that. They had five steals — Burke accounted for four — in the third quarter, which led to nine points. 

“We were just really active,” Ionescu said. “Everyone being there, upping the intensity … it paid off for us.” 

The Liberty (13-6) outscored the Aces (9-10) down the stretch for the win — their sixth straight over the rivals. 

The Liberty are off until Sunday, when the defending champions host the Dream in their penultimate game before the All-Star break.