The Las Vegas Aces return back home, where they withstood the Dallas Wings, 104-91, as the Aces remain undefeated at home, 12-0.
The Aces opened the game red hot, scoring 35 points in the first quarter. Las Vegas’ array of threes, five total through the first, contributed a significant 15 points fueling the team’s defensive presence.
Las Vegas pressured Dallas into eight total turnovers and recorded seven total blocks through two quarters. The Aces held the Wings WNBA 2021 MVP guard Arike Ogunbowale to two points in the first half.
“We gotta put our hat off to Jackie [Young],” Aces guard Chelsea Gray said. “She was making looks difficult, and never really let her [Arike Ogunbowale] get in a rhythm.”
Three starters for the Aces ended the first half with double-digit scoring: forward A’ja Wilson with 14 points, guard Kelsey Plum with 11 points, and Gray with 16 points. The momentum carried by the three all-stars extended its lead heading into halftime, 58-41.
In addition to Wilson’s offensive presence, the two-time MVP punished the Dallas Wings in the paint, recording six blocks in the first half.
Despite struggling in the first half, Dallas made adjustments from the halftime break to minimize the gap and score 31 points in a crucial third quarter. The Wings managed to finish the third with five players in double-digit scoring.
“This is a team, like I said, coming in I was pretty concerned with,” Wings head coach Becky Hammon said. “I thought we handled them very well in that first half… you’re gonna take a hit, that’s a very good team. You’re not gonna sit there and hold them to 16 points a quarter every time.”
Dallas applied immense pressure throughout the fourth quarter, including the dying minutes, but were shut down in key stops down the stretch, led by 2022 WNBA Finals MVP Gray, who came up with a game-sealing steal for the win.
Wilson finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, and six blocks. Gray recorded 27 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Kelsey Plum led the game in scoring with 28 points and complimented her, scoring with six rebounds and three assists.
The Aces improve to 23-2 as they look to continue its dominance against the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, Aug. 1, at 7:00 p.m.
