A’Ja Wilson powers Las Vegas Aces past Connecticut Sun, 85-71, to close in on first WNBA title
The Las Vegas Aces moved one win away from securing the franchise's first WNBA title with a 85-71 victory over the Connecticut Sun on September 13 in Nevada. Chelsea Gray (left) and A'ja Wilson react during the win.
By George Ramsay, CNN
The Las Vegas Aces moved one win away from securing the franchise’s first WNBA title with a 85-71 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday in Nevada.
2022 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson ended the night with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Kelsey Plum — after a disappointing performance in Game 1 — contributed 20 points and seven assists and Chelsea Gray 21 points and eight assists.
It means the Aces take a 2-0 lead in the series and can close out the championship in Game 3 on Thursday.
“A’ja cussed me out before the game. That’s all I needed,” Plum said of her improved performance. ”It’s about time I joined the party. They’ve been carrying us all week. It’s good to hit some shots, but we’ve got one more.”
Having held on for a narrow 67-64 win in Game 1 — the franchise’s first victory in a WNBA Finals — Las Vegas took a 23-15 lead in the first quarter on Tuesday.
Connecticut trailed by 14 points at one stage in the second before hitting back, with Jonquel Jones — who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds — hitting a bucket to cut the deficit to six.
Jones then moved the Sun to within five in the third quarter when she drained a three-pointer, but Las Vegas always maintained a cushion between the two squads.
Leading 68-54 heading into the fourth quarter, Gray added eight points, including two three-pointers, as the Aces wrapped up the victory and moved a step closer to the WNBA title.
By the end of the game, the star trip of Wilson, Plum, and Gray had 67 points between them — or 78.8% of their team’s total tally.
“It’s going to take every bit of everybody. You can see the stats, you can see the points and assists, but it’s the toughness, the little things, that’s going to get it done,” said Gray.
“We’ve been a good road team this year, all year, so we might as well just go ahead and try and win it on the road.”
Game 3 is at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday in Connecticut.
The-CNN-Wire
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