Steph Curry reacts to beating Sabrina Ionescu in NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge / News - Basketnews.com

Stephen Curry defeated Sabrina Ionescu with a 29-26 win in the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge, describing the matchup as "perfect" and "great entertainment," while Ionescu expressed her eagerness for a rematch.

Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect - Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect - Scanpix

In a historic showdown at the 2024 All-Star Saturday Night, Stephen Curry unleashed his inner fire and clinched the clutch win against Sabrina Ionescu in the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge.

Stephen Curry

MIN:33.53PTS:28.04 (55.44%)REB:4.43As:5.1ST:0.82BL:0.41TO:3.08GM:49ProfileNBA2023/2024

The Golden State Warriors guard outgunned the New York Liberty player with a slick 29-26 victory.

"I don't know if anybody can fill these shoes, but it might have to be something that we do more often," Curry said after the contest. "That was perfect. Great entertainment, great shooting -- both sides -- and an awesome 70 seconds for both of us.

"So, pretty special. This will be something that we remember for a long time."

Curry had two perfect racks, going 5-for-5 from both the left and right wings. His final rack in the right corner, including money balls, required him to go 3-for-5 to secure the win. Despite missing the first shot, he nailed the subsequent four, finishing with a score of 29.

Ionescu, shooting with WNBA basketballs from the NBA 3-point line, started strong, making her first seven shots and going 8-for-9 on money balls. However, she slowed down towards the end, making "only" five of her final 10 shots.

"I saw the first rack ... and I was having flashbacks to watching her this [past] summer," Curry said. "It added a lot of pressure, for sure, and I just wanted to get off to a good start, settle in, and thankfully, I made enough to get over the top.

Ionescu, despite falling short this time, immediately expressed her desire for a rematch with Curry.

"Obviously, Steph won for a reason, and I'm going to have to try to beat him next time," Ionescu said.

"This was so authentic for the both of us to be here," Ionescu added. "Obviously, very thankful to kind of make this dream that we both had a possibility, and knowing that it's changed the landscape of how people are going to view what we're doing, and we're very excited to see what the future has to hold with more people having the opportunity to do stuff like this.

"The respect that I've been able to receive from the NBA guys... it's going to show a lot of people that haven't watched women's sports that we're able to go out there and put on a show."

The concept for this unique challenge was born from Curry and Ionescu's collaboration, sparked by Sabrina's remarkable performance in the 3-point contest at the WNBA All-Star Weekend in July when she scored 37 out of a possible 40 points -- including a streak of 20 straight triples.

Stephen vs. Sabrina:

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