A’ja Wilson scored 26 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots as the Las Vegas Aces beat the visiting Mystics 86-76 on Tuesday, ending Washington’s season-best seven-game winning streak.
Jackie Young added 25 points for the Aces (23-11), who were coming off back-to-back losses.
Wilson made 10 of her 18 attempts from the field. Young shot 7-for-17 from the floor, making 4 of 9 attempts from 3-point range and chipping in eight assists. Las Vegas’ Chelsea Gray added 12 points and five assists, while Na’Lyssa Smith added 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Wilson, Young and Gray made their return from their one-game absence on Sunday, which coach Becky Hammon designated as a rest day owing to the Aces’ unforgiving schedule as of late. Las Vegas dropped that game 111-71 to the host New York Liberty.
Shakira Austin led the Mystics with 20 points, making 8 of 21 field-goal attempts in addition to grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists. Kiki Iriafen tallied 15 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 6-for-11 from the field. Sonia Citron added 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds.
Early in the fourth quarter, a pair of Citron free throws cut the Aces’ lead to 66-62. Wilson then converted on back-to-back possessions to stretch the lead to nine with 6:54 remaining.
The Mystics again cut the Aces’ lead to six points with 2:46 remaining before back-to-back hoops from Jewell Loyd and Young sealed Washington’s first defeat since July 18.
After the Aces led by as many as seven points in the first quarter and the Mystics were up by as many as four in the second, the teams entered halftime with the score knotted at 41 apiece. Young led the Aces with 13 points in the first half, while Citron topped the Mystics with 13 points.
–Field Level Media
