The Las Vegas Aces moved within one win of advancing in the WNBA playoffs and matching league history with their 102-77 romp over the visiting Seattle Storm in Game 1 of their best-of-three series on Sunday night.
The second-seeded Aces wasted little time ensuring the 16-game winning streak they brought into the postseason would reach 17, one shy of matching the 2001 Los Angeles Sparks for the longest such streak in WNBA history.
Former Seattle guard Jewell Loyd came off the bench and scored seven straight points, then A’ja Wilson tacked on four of her game-high 29 points to fuel an 11-0 Las Vegas run midway through the first quarter.
The early spurt was enough to give the Aces a double-digit-point cushion that continued to swell as the night progressed.
Las Vegas bombarded Seattle with 14-of-29 shooting from 3-point range, led by Jackie Young’s 4-of-6 effort. Young finished with 18 points, part of an all-around standout performance that included seven assists and five rebounds.
Loyd added a trio of made 3-pointers on six attempts en route to 14 points, and fellow Aces reserve Dana Evans knocked down another 3-of-6 from beyond the arc on the way to 13 points.
NaLyssa Smith rounded out the double-digit-scoring from Las Vegas with 11 points along with a game-high nine rebounds.
The Storm threatened briefly after the initial Las Vegas onslaught, cutting the deficit to five early in the second quarter on back-to-back Nneka Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler jumpers.
The Aces quickly snuffed out a potential rally, responding with a 9-0 run. Las Vegas’ lead never dipped below 12 the rest of the way.
Gabby Williams led Seattle with 16 points, Skylar Diggins added 12 and Ogwumike finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Fellow Storm starters Ebi Magbegor and Brittney Sykes struggled to contribute.
Sykes played 15 foul-plagued minutes before fouling out scoreless. Magbegor did not score until the fourth quarter, when Seattle trailed by nearly 30.
The Storm got 10 points off the bench from Wheeler and a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double from rookie Dominique Malonga in her first playoff game.
The series heads to Seattle for Game 2 on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
