The Las Vegas Aces wasted no time getting back on track after the All-Star break, defeating the visiting Portland Fire 98-83 in a wire-to-wire effort upon their return from a six-day hiatus.
The Aces were led by a 28-point, 14-rebound performance from A’ja Wilson, who was 7 of 10 from the field, 13 of 14 from the free throw line and added two steals on the defensive end. Jackie Young added 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while Chelsea Gray added 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and dished a team-high seven assists.
Megan DiLeo led the Fire with 20 points and added six rebounds, making 8 of 13 attempts from the field and 1 of 5 from 3-point range. Frieda Buhner chipped in 16 points, while Carla Leite added 11 points and three assists before fouling out in 22 minutes. Portland finished the game 27 of 68 (39.7%) from the field.
The shots started falling early and often for Las Vegas, which began the game on an 18-4 run and led by as many as 17 points in the first half en route to a 53-37 lead at halftime. The Aces shot 19 of 30 (63.3%) from the field in the first half and didn’t deal with too much of a drop-off in the second half, finishing 33 of 57 (57.9%) overall. Wilson’s 14 points led the Aces in the first half, while Gray and Young tallied 13 apiece.
Although the Aces controlled most of the game and never relinquished the lead, there were a few shaky moments. The most prominent of which was a 21-10 half-opening run from the Fire which culminated with a 3-pointer from Bridget Carleton that cut the Aces’ lead to 63-58 with 4:18 left in the third quarter. However, the Aces responded with a 16-6 run to close the frame, taking a 15-point lead into the fourth.
The Fire previously threatened to erase the 17-point cushion the Aces built in the first half, pulling within six points in the second quarter after a pair of Buhner free throws cut the Aces lead to 43-37 with 3:37 left. But the Aces promptly stopped Portland’s rally in its tracks and flipped the script with a 10-0 run of their own going into halftime.
–Field Level Media
