The Las Vegas Aces looked every bit of the defending champions as they displayed an accurate offensive performance keyed by All-Star Jackie Young in a 109-87 win Monday over the host Atlanta Dream.
Young delivered her third career triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists after going scoreless in the teams’ May matchup.
Las Vegas tied its season high in points while shooting 44 of 71 (62.0%) from the field and 10 of 19 (52.6%) from 3-point range.
After a competitive first quarter, a second quarter in which Las Vegas shot 65% and committed no turnovers allowed the Aces to outscore the Dream 33-14 and build a 55-38 halftime edge. Atlanta never pulled closer than 16 points the rest of the game.
The Aces (21-9) were paced by Young, who shot 11 of 17, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Young scored 19 of her points in the first half, including 14 in the second quarter, then assisted on a Brianna Turner bucket with 2:21 to play to claim a triple-double.
Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson notched 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field while making all six free-throw attempts. NaLyssa Smith added 18 points and Chelsea Gray contributed 17 points and six assists.
Atlanta (18-11) saw a five-game winning streak end despite Angel Reese delivering a double-double with 23 points and 16 rebounds. Reese shot 10 of 19 from the field. Rhyne Howard added 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including a trio of 3-pointers.
Atlanta was within 41-36 with 3:50 to play in the first half, but Las Vegas went on a 14-2 spurt to close the half. Young contributed nine points in that run, sinking a 3-pointer, a pair of short floaters near the rim and a pair of free throws.
The Aces’ road trip continues against Caitlin Clark and the Fever on Thursday, while Atlanta returns home to play the Mercury and new addition Kelsey Plum on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
