A’ja Wilson amassed 25 points, nine rebounds and five steals and NaLyssa Smith added 18 points as the Las Vegas Aces bounced back for a 90-68 victory over the visiting Indiana Fever in Game 2 of their WNBA semifinal series on Tuesday.
Jackie Young scored 13 points and Chelsea Gray had 10 assists as the Aces improved both on defense and ball distribution while turning the tables following an 89-73 loss in Game 1 of the series.
The Aces, who have reached the semifinals for the seventh consecutive season, shot 53.8 percent from the floor and had 22 assists after collecting just 12 in the series opener. Wilson shot 10-for-18 after making just 6 of 22 attempts in Game 1.
Indiana finished at 41 percent from the floor on Tuesday after shooting 50 percent in the opener. The Fever committed 22 turnovers.
“Defensively, we were just engaged from the start of the game. We didn’t go into these lulls,” Gray said of the Aces, who had 12 steals. “Of course they’re a good basketball team, they’re going to go on runs. But it was how we combat that defensively to take a stand and get a stop.”
Odyssey Sims scored 18 points and seven assists, and Lexie Hull added 15 points for the Fever.
Kelsey Mitchell was held to 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting for Indiana, which is set to host Game 3 on Friday.
Fever coach Stephanie White said her team didn’t play with the same intensity as it did in Game 1.
“We didn’t throw any punches,” White said. “We were passive tonight.”
The Aces took charge in the third quarter, going on a 9-0 run to take a 63-44 lead. Las Vegas took their first 20-point lead of the game at 67-47 on a layup from Megan Gustafson off an assist from Gray.
The Fever missed nine consecutive shots late in the third, shooting 29.4 percent in the quarter.
“It’s been a physical season, but yes, I feel like I have been on the ground a little bit more this series so far,” Hull said. “We just keep getting back up. That’s all we can really say.”
The Aces took a 70-52 lead into the fourth quarter and went up 80-56 with 6:55 remaining after Wilson capped a 10-0 run with a fastbreak layup. Las Vegas removed its starters with 4:03 remaining while holding an 84-60 lead.
Las Vegas got off to a hot start, taking a 26-17 lead through one quarter after making 10 of their 20 shots. The Aces led by as many as 18 in the second quarter and took a 46-35 lead into halftime by shooting 55.9 percent and holding the Fever to 41.2 percent.
Wilson led Las Vegas with 13 points in the first half, while Young and Smith each had 10.
–Field Level Media
