NEW YORK – The Liberty are focused on winning their first championship after narrowly missing out last year.

They moved one step closer to their goal when Sabrina Ionescu set a franchise playoff record with 36 points to help the Liberty to a 91-82 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night and a place in the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs.

“The ultimate goal is what it is. But you know, every single game is a championship game to get to that ultimate goal,” Ionescu said. “And obviously our goal is not to lose at home. So it was really important for us to do those two games and have a couple of days off to rest, recharge and get ready for whatever we’re going to play.”

The game was once again sold out, including Olympian Gabby Thomas, singer Pharrell, Spike Lee and Whoopi Goldberg. Rapper Ja Rule performed during halftime.

Ionescu said she got a high five from Lee in the third quarter.

“It felt like New York was injected into me. I thought we were going to win this,” Ionescu said.

Jonquel Jones added 20 points and 13 rebounds for the top-seeded Liberty, which won the best-of-three series and will face Las Vegas in the next round, which begins Sunday in New York. The Aces defeated the Liberty in last season’s WNBA Finals.

“We have unfinished business,” said Jones, who recorded her 19th career playoff double-double, passing A’ja Wilson and the Aces’ Lisa Leslie for the fifth-most in WNBA history. It was the 109th double-double of Jones’ career, and her teams improved to 85-24 (.780) when she recorded a double-double, the fifth-best such winning percentage in WNBA history (minimum 25 games played).

The Liberty took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter and the teams were neck and neck before a layup by New York’s Courtney Vandersloot with 5:41 left made it 75-72 and started a 12-2 run. New York’s Breanna Stewart followed later in the final spurt with a tip-in, her first points since the second quarter.

Leonie Fiebich, who scored 21 points in the opening game, extended the lead to 82-74 with 4:11 minutes left. She hit a three-pointer on the next possession to give New York a double-digit lead for the first time in the game.

“It had a little bit of everything,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said of the run.

Atlanta couldn’t get any closer than seven the rest of the way.

“I don’t think they did anything differently,” Rhyne Howard said of New York’s final sprint. “We fought hard and gave it our all. Coach told us not to go home with regrets and that’s what we did.”

Allisha Gray and Howard did everything they could to avoid elimination. Gray finished with 26 points and Howard added 19. She also had a massive block on Stewart on a quick counterattack in the third quarter.

“We saw it four or five times before we got here (to the postgame press conference),” Howard said with a smile.

Stewart was impressed by the piece.

“She timed it really well,” said the Liberty star. “She made the block. I won.”

Unlike Game 1, when New York overran Atlanta, the Dream got off to a fast start thanks to Gray. They led 28-19 as Gray scored 14 points in the first 10 minutes, hitting all five of her shots, including four 3-pointers.

Atlanta led by 11 points in the second quarter before Ionescu started hitting deep threes. She got the Liberty back on their feet and briefly put them ahead 40-36 before the Dream closed the half on a 12-3 run to lead 48-43 at the break.

The Liberty ended an 11-game playoff losing streak in which they trailed by five or more points at halftime, and it’s their first such victory since the 2008 playoffs.

Ionescu is tied with Cappie Pondexter for most points by a Liberty player in the postseason, a record Pondexter also set against the Dream in 2010.

“I guess I should have taken another one,” Ionescu said, laughing.

Ionescu became the third player in WNBA history to record 35 points and five assists in a playoff game and the second to achieve that stat in a series-deciding win – joining Angel McCoughtry in 2016 against the Storm.

“I thought it was incredible,” Stewart said of her teammate. “Sab was aggressive from start to finish. She was able to spot some shots. When she’s that aggressive, she opens up opportunities for everyone else.”

ESPN’s Katie Barnes, ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.