A’ja Wilson produced 34 points and nine rebounds, Jackie Young added a triple-double and the visiting Las Vegas Aces rode a dominant third quarter to their 12th consecutive victory, 81-75 against the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday.
Young amassed 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for her second triple-double of the season. Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd put up 14 points each for the Aces (26-14), who outscored the Dream 21-6 in the third period and moved one game ahead of Atlanta (24-14) for second place in the WNBA.
Brionna Jones and Rhyne Howard scored 19 points each and Allisha Gray added 15 to lead Atlanta, which had won nine of 11. The Dream lost the season series to the Aces 3-0.
The Aces took their first lead of the game, 46-44, when Chelsea Gray converted a four-point play early in the third quarter. The Dream scored four straight points to regain the lead, but they didn’t make field goal during the final 6:28 of the period and went scoreless during the final 4:16.
Dana Evans made a layup, Wilson followed with eight straight points and Loyd scored the final five during a 15-0 run that gave Las Vegas a 61-48 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Atlanta got within three points with 1:07 remaining on a 3-pointer from Te-Hina Paopao, but Loyd and Chelsea Gray made consecutive 3-pointers to help the Aces hold on.
Jones scored the game’s first four points before the Aces tied the score three times but couldn’t get the lead before the end of the first quarter. Jones finished with eight points by making all four of her field-goal attempts and the Dream held a 19-16 lead at the end of the period.
Loyd’s layup gave Las Vegas the first points of the second quarter, but Jones had a three-point play to conclude a 7-0 run that gave Atlanta a 26-18 lead. Wilson’s two free throws ended the run.
Young’s jumper got Las Vegas within 36-34 before the Dream rebuilt the lead to six points. Wilson’s jumper and Loyd’s layup completed the second-quarter scoring and left Atlanta with a 42-40 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
