Jackie Young scored 23 points and made a career-high five 3-pointers as the visiting Las Vegas Aces routed the short-handed Phoenix Mercury, 99-79 on Wednesday in a Commissioner’s Cup game.
Young shot 8-for-12 from the floor for the Aces (11-1) and made as many triples as Phoenix (2-9), which played without leading scorer and rebounder Brittney Griner (hip) and assist leader Diana Taurasi (hamstring) for the third straight game. Guard Shey Peddy also sat out with an injured Achilles.
Las Vegas’ high-octane offense had little trouble finding the bottom of the net against a Mercury defense that entered the game surrendering the second-most points in the WNBA.
The Aces shot 55.4 percent from the floor, dished out a season-high 29 assists and eclipsed the 90-point plateau for the 10th time.
Las Vegas drained 11 of its 23 3-pointers to outclass Phoenix’s 5-for 20 effort from beyond the arc and outrebounded the Mercury 32-26.
Kelsey Plum posted 21 points for the Aces, while A’ja Wilson supplied 20 and 12 rebounds for her seventh double-double. Chelsea Gray scored 11 points to complement her team-leading eight assists.
Sug Sutton rained in a career-high 21 points to lead a quartet of double-digit scorers for Phoenix. Sophie Cunningham added 14 points, Moriah Jefferson contributed 12, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Megan Gustafson finished with 10 points and 10 boards for her first double-double this season.
Young helped Las Vegas cruise to an early lead, gouging a porous Mercury defense for 14 first-quarter points en route to her eighth 20-point game this season. She canned three triples in the first quarter as the Aces led 32-19 after one.
Young’s hot hand proved contagious as Las Vegas shot better than 60 percent from the floor in the first half to carry a 57-40 lead into the break.
Plum’s gliding left-handed layup gave the Aces their first 20-point lead at 64-44 with 6:46 left in the third. Gray’s nifty no-look bounce pass set up Parker with a layup at the third-quarter buzzer to stretch Las Vegas’ lead to 87-60.
The Mercury fell behind by as many as 29 in the fourth quarter.
–Field Level Media
