A’ja Wilson recorded 21 points and 15 rebounds and the Las Vegas Aces notched the largest margin of victory in franchise history by steamrolling the visiting Phoenix Mercury 106-58 on Saturday.
Backup Justine Pissott scored 19 points in the final quarter on 7-of-8 shooting, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, for the Aces (17-6). Pissott, who was making her WNBA debut after signing with Las Vegas on Tuesday, set a league record with five 3-pointers in her first career game.
Chelsea Gray registered 15 points and 12 assists and reserve Cheyenne Parker-Tyus added 15 points and seven rebounds for Las Vegas. NaLyssa Smith chipped in 14 points for the Aces, who held a 47-29 rebounding advantage.
The 48-point margin of victory topped a 42-point win by the then-San Antonio Silver Stars, who drubbed the Mercury 89-47 in 2012. The franchise moved to Las Vegas ahead of the 2018 season.
Monique Akoa Makani scored 13 points and Lexi Held had 11 off the bench for Phoenix (8-16), which lost its third straight game.
The Aces shot 50.6% from the field, including 14 of 35 from 3-point range, while winning their second straight game.
Phoenix connected on 34.8% of its shots and was just 7 of 31 from behind the arc.
Earlier this season, the Mercury routed the Aces 99-66 in Las Vegas.
This time, the Aces controlled the game from the outset by scoring the first nine points and 16 of the initial 18.
Gray ended the first quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, giving the Aces a 29-9 lead.
The lead reached 30 on Jewell Loyd’s 3-pointer that pushed the score to 48-18 with 3:04 remaining in the first half.
Las Vegas later led by 37 before settling for a 57-22 halftime advantage. Wilson had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the half.
A turnaround basket by Smith gave Las Vegas a 70-29 edge with 4:42 left in the third quarter.
The margin was 45 late in the period before the Aces took a 79-36 lead into the final stanza.
Pissott scored all the points during an 8-0 Las Vegas run as the lead grew to a game-high 54 with 6:48 remaining.
–Field Level Media
