A’ja Wilson led all scorers with 27 points, Jewell Loyd saved six of her 14 for the final 6:05 and the Las Vegas Aces completed a home-and-home sweep of the Golden State Valkyries with a 78-72 triumph Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Having been dealt a 24-point blowout loss in Las Vegas on Sunday, the Valkyries played the Aces (16-14) evenly for the first 2 1/2 quarters before a Jackie Young 3-pointer sparked a 16-6 burst that allowed the visitors to close the third period with a 64-54 lead.
Golden State (14-15) held Las Vegas scoreless for the first 3:55 of the final quarter, closing the gap to four, before Loyd hit the first of her two big late hoops, a 13-footer that ended the Valkyries’ run.
The hosts hung within 69-65 after two Janelle Salaun free throws with still 4:27 to play, but Loyd came through again, this time nailing a 3-pointer that opened a seven-point gap from which the Valkyries couldn’t recover.
Wilson hit eight of her 11 shots and all 11 of her free throws yet also found time for seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
Loyd buried three 3-pointers on a night when both teams struggled from long range. Other than Loyd’s 3-for-7, the Aces went 2-for-20, while the Valkyries made only four of their 22 3-point attempts.
Young had 14 points to match Loyd’s total for the Aces, who moved to 1.5 games up on the Valkyries in the battle for the league’s seventh and eighth playoff spots. Also, should it become necessary, Las Vegas earned the tiebreaker edge on Golden State by virtue of its 3-1 head-to-head record in the season series.
Young also had a game-high four assists and led a stingy Las Vegas defense with five steals. NaLyssa Smith was the team’s leading rebounder with nine, one more than Chelsea Gray.
Tiffany Hayes had 14 points to lead a balanced attack for Golden State, which was coming off a 3-2 road trip. Hayes also tied Smith for game-high rebound honors with nine.
Salaun chipped in with 13 points, while Carla Leite and Kaila Charles added 11 apiece off the bench for the Valkyries, who shot just 39.7 percent (25-for-63).
–Field Level Media
