A’ja Wilson scored 32 points and Chelsea Gray tied the WNBA record and set a franchise record with nine made 3-point baskets to lead Las Vegas Aces to a 105-89 victory over the host Portland Fire on Thursday night.
Gray scored a season-high 29 points while putting on a show from outside and bettering her former career high of seven treys. She missed just four of her 13 attempts from deep and was 10-of-15 overall.
Jackie Young added 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds and NaLyssa Smith had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Las Vegas (9-3, 4-0 Commissioner’s Cup). The Aces made 14 of 28 from behind the arc while winning their fifth straight game.
Carla Leite had 18 points and eight assists and Megan Gustafson recorded 17 points for the Fire (6-8, 0-4 CC). Sarah Ashlee Barker had 14 points and Bridget Carleton added 13 for Portland, which lost its fourth straight game and fifth in the past six contests.
Wilson and Young made baskets and Stephanie Talbot followed with a 3-pointer as the Aces took an 85-74 lead with 7:55 left in the contest.
Gray later knocked down her seventh trey to again make it an 11-point margin with 5:47 remaining.
Wilson followed with a putback before Gray set a new high by sinking another 3-pointer to make it 95-79 with 4:15 remaining.
Gray hit No. 9 with 2:37 remaining to push the lead to 101-86 with 2:37 left.
Las Vegas shot 50% from the field and had a dominating 42-19 rebounding advantage.
The Fire made 52.9% of their shots and were just 8-of-26 from behind the arc.
Wilson scored 16 points in the third quarter to help Las Vegas build its lead to 16 before the Fire whittled 10 points off their deficit.
After Wilson made two free throws and buried a 3-pointer to make it 70-54, Portland scored eight of the next 10 points and 18 of the last 26 in the quarter. Carleton and Gustafson made late treys as the Fire trailed 78-72 entering the final stanza.
Gray scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from 3-point range as the Aces took a 56-50 halftime lead.
Wilson and Young added 12 points apiece for Las Vegas. Leite had 10 points in the half for Portland.
–Field Level Media
