A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young combined for 64 points as the Las Vegas Aces edged the visiting Golden State Valkyries 104-102 at home Saturday.
Young (30 points, six assists) drained a pair of free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining to give the Aces (10-11) a four-point lead. Overall, Young scored the final 10 points in the last 1:34 for the Aces with two field goals and six free throws.
Wilson recorded a double-double of 34 points and 16 rebounds in her return after sitting out Thursday’s loss at the Washington Mystics with a wrist injury. This is Wilson’s third 30/10 game of the season, and she also surpassed Swin Cash for 25th on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list.
Janelle Salaun and Tiffany Hayes each finished with 16 points in the loss for the Valkyries (10-10). On the play prior to Young’s final free throws, Hayes made a one-legged 3-pointer off an assist from Salaun to trim the deficit to 102-100 with 7.1 to go.
The Aces and Valkyries each tallied season highs in points during the shootout. The Aces won despite the Valkyries finishing with 12 triples, double the number of 3-pointers made by Las Vegas.
A Chelsea Gray steal and coast-to-coast layup gave the Aces an 83-77 lead in the fourth quarter. After the Valkyries amassed nine 3-pointers in the first half, the Aces didn’t allow any in the third quarter.
The third quarter ended with Jewell Loyd hitting a 3-pointer followed by Kaitlyn Chen responding with a driving buzzer-beating layup and free throw to trim Golden State’s deficit to 76-72.
The Aces trailed by only one at halftime despite being cold from beyond the arc, going 2-of-11. However, Wilson kept the Aces afloat with 25 points (10-of-12 overall) along with a 3-pointer, eight rebounds, a steal and a block in the first half.
Hayes went 3-for-3 on 3-pointers in the first half to pace the Valkyries.
The Valkyries are tied for the WNBA lead in rebounds, but the Aces were plus-2 in large part because of Wilson’s dominance on the glass. Another key to the victory was the Aces holding the Valkyries to two fastbreak points.
–Field Level Media
