A’ja Wilson pumped in 31 points and the host Las Vegas Aces set a franchise record with their 13th consecutive victory, defeating the league-best Minnesota Lynx 97-87 on Thursday night.
The outcome avenged an embarrassing 111-58 loss to the Lynx on Aug. 2. The Aces haven’t lost since that game and they served notice again that they’ll contend for a championship in a spirited matchup.
Jackie Young racked up 20 points, aided by four 3-pointers, and Chelsea Gray provided 13 points and 10 assists for Las Vegas, which shot 55.1 percent from the field. NaLyssa Smith added 10 points.
Natisha Hiedeman scored 22 points off the bench for the Lynx (32-9), who won the first three meetings with Las Vegas and have clinched the top seed for the playoffs. Courtney Williams’ 14 points, Alanna Smith’s 13, Napheesa Collier’s 12 and Kayla McBride’s 10 also helped Minnesota.
The Aces (27-14), who improved to 15-5 at home, are tied with the Atlanta Dream in the race for the No. 2 seed.
Wilson, who shot 12-for-15 from the field, passed Collier for the WNBA scoring lead. Wilson also collected a game-high eight rebounds.
Young eclipsed the 1,000-assist mark for her career, finishing with five Thursday night.
It was a tight game throughout until the Aces scored the first six points of the fourth quarter for a 76-66 lead. Wilson drained her first 3-point attempt to restore a 10-point margin at 81-71 with 5:39 remaining.
The Lynx made a couple of surges, with Hiedeman’s long 3-pointer closing the gap to 92-86 with 1:42 to go. Gray countered with a 3 just 13 seconds later.
The Aces led 26-24 after the first quarter and 47-44 at halftime. Wilson had 10 points slightly more than five minutes into the game.
Both teams attempted 11 free throws, with Las Vegas making 10 compared to Minnesota’s six. Bridget Carleton’s nine points for the Lynx came on 3-for-3 shooting on 3-pointers.
–Field Level Media
