LAS. VEGAS, NV (August 15, 2018)—The Las Vegas Aces continue to control their own destiny in the race for the final WNBA playoff berth thanks to a 85-72 victory over the New York Liberty Wednesday.
That win drew Las Vegas even with Dallas at 14-18. If the Aces win their next two games, including a Friday, August 17 road trip to Dallas, they will make the postseason in their first season since moving to Las Vegas.
The Wings still own the tiebreaker over the Aces, however, and Dallas’ magic number remains at two—any combination of two Wings’ victories and Aces losses gives Dallas the final spot.
| W-L | Pct | GB | ||
| 8 | Dallas | 14-18 | .438 | 10.0 |
| 9 | Las Vegas | 14-18 | .438 | 10.0 |
The Aces and Wings each have two games remaining on their regular season schedules, including a Friday, August 17 meeting between the two teams in Dallas.
| Las Vegas Aces | Dallas Wings | |||||
| Date | Opponent | W-L | Date | Opponent | W-L | |
| August 17 | at Dallas | 14-18 | August 17 | vs. Las Vegas | 14-18 | |
| August 19 | vs. Atlanta | 22-10 | August 19 | at Seattle | 24-8 | |
KEY RUNS
Las Vegas outscored the Liberty 31-10 in the opening quarter. New York crawled back into the game, cutting the Aces’ lead to eight in the fourth quarter before the Aces sewed things up.
KEY STATS
Las Vegas shot 52.2 percent from the field compared to 43.1 percent for New York.
New York went 8 for 23 from three-point range, while Las Vegas went 3 for 16.
The Aces committed just 10 turnovers compared to 15 for the Liberty
Kayla McBride scored 15 points in the fourth quarter after not scoring any in the first three quarters
GAME NOTES
A’ja Wilson (19 points) scored in double figures for the 31st straight time to start her WNBA career.
Kayla McBride (15 points) scored in double figures for the 27th time this season.
Kelsey Plum (11 points) scored in double figures for the 13th time this season.
Tamera Young (11 points) scored in double figures for the 17th time this season.
Carolyn Swords (10 points) scored in double figures for the third time this season.
The Liberty were without Tina Charles, Epiphanny Prince, Shavonte Zellous and Amanda Zahui B, all of whom were out with injuries.
Las Vegas’ 31 points in the first quarter ties their most prolific first quarter of the season (31 at Atlanta on August 7).