Usual Sellout Crowd (10,415) Watches Las Vegas Aces Close Out Seattle To Win Fifth In Six Games Friday; A’ja Scores 29 On 29th Birthday
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Story by Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — You knew it was A’ja Wilson’s birthday today.
Her dad, Roscoe, was wearing a birthday tiara as he sat courtside with wife Eva at the Las Vegas Aces’ 90-86 win over the Seattle Storm at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Ultra Arena. The Aces pulled away in the third quarter, pumping up their halftime lead to 19 points.
Seattle made it close with a 24-6 run from the third quarter into the fourth when the game was eventually locked at 75 apiece until the Aces closed the deal to improve to 17 wins in 31 games.
With its 17-14 record, Las Vegas is tied with the Indiana Fever for fifth place in the 13-team WNBA. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.
“We weathered the storm. We went through it,” Wilson said after her 29-point, 12-rebound performance. Fellow Aces birthday girl NaLyssa Smith also gathered a dozen rebounds with her 10 points. Reliable scorer Jackie Young had 26 points with Chelsea Gray adding 13.
Thanks to playing improved and more aggressive defense and showing more physical play with starters Smith and Kierstan Bell placed into the lineup, the Aces are picking up steam with three straight wins, five wins in six games and eight wins in 11 games. Two of those three losses were blowouts to the WNBA-leading Minnesota Lynx.
Attendance was reported at 10,415.
The Aces play the Sun at home Sunday and then the defending champs New York Liberty come to Las Vegas Wednesday.
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