INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Sept. 13, 2024)—The Aces ‘Big Four’ of Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young combined for 66 points to lead the Las Vegas Aces (24-13) to a 78-74 win, completing a season sweep of the Indiana Fever (19-19). Gray led all scorers with 21 points, Plum had 18, Wilson posted a double-double of 15 points and 17 boards and Young chipped in 12 points.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 20 points to lead the Fever.
Box Score | Highlights | Photo Gallery
The Aces win, coupled with Seattle’s 83-31 victory over the Dallas Wings this evening, keeps Las Vegas a game ahead of the Storm (23-14) with three games to play in the race for 4th place in the WNBA standings. The Aces currently own the tie-breaker against Seattle having beaten the Storm in 2 of the 3 previous meetings between the clubs. They play one another for a 4th and final time during the regular season on Sept. 17 in Seattle. The Aces also could still pass Connecticut (26-10) in 3rd place, as they trail the Sun by 2.5 games. Connecticut plays at Phoenix later tonight.
| W | L | GB | |
| New York * | 31 | 6 | — |
| Minnesota * | 28 | 9 | 3.0 |
| Connecticut * & | 26 | 10 | 4.5 |
| Las Vegas * | 24 | 13 | 7.0 |
| Seattle * | 23 | 14 | 8.0 |
| Indiana* | 19 | 19 | 12.5 |
| Phoenix* & | 17 | 19 | 13.5 |
| Washington | 13 | 24 | 18.0 |
| Chicago | 13 | 24 | 18.0 |
| Atlanta | 12 | 25 | 19.0 |
| Dallas ^ | 9 | 29 | 22.5 |
| Los Angeles ^ | 7 | 30 | 24.0 |
| * Clinched Playoff Berth ^ Eliminated & Playing tonight |
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First Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 19, Indiana 13)
After 4 knotted scores and 6 lead changes, the Aces went ahead 12-11 on a Wilson bucket that sparked a 9-0 Las Vegas run. The Fever scored the quarter’s final basket of the quarter. Plum and Wilson scored 6 apiece for Las Vegas and Mitchell notched 6 for Indiana. The Aces shot 38.9% from the field and the Fever were 37.5%. Both teams combined to shoot 1 of 12 from distance, with Plum hitting the quarter’s lone 3-pointer.
Second Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 43, Indiana 35)
The Fever briefly reclaimed the lead early in the second quarter, 20-19, but the Aces responded with an 11-2 run for a 30-22 lead at 3:21. Neither team strung together more than a 5-0 run through the remainder of the half. Gray scored a high of 5 for the Aces and Mitchell led all scorers with 13 points. The Aces hit on 50% of their shots from the field, the Fever made 47.1%, and both sides netted 4 3-pointers apiece.
Third Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 60, Indiana 57)
The Aces pulled ahead by 13, 48-35, after just over a minute of play in the third quarter and led by 12, 56-44, midway through the period. However, the Fever outscored the Aces 13-2 in erasing the double-digit lead to a single point, 58-57, with time running down. Gray nailed a jumper to close the third. The Fever made 64.3% from the field, while holding the Aces to 38.9%. After going scoreless in the first half, Caitlin Clark scored a high of 14 for the Fever and Gray scored 8 for the Aces.
Fourth Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 78, Indiana 74)
The Aces never gave up their lead in the final period, but after an early tie, their lead vacillated between 2-7 points. Gray (7 points), Plum (6) and Wilson (5) combined for all 18 of the Aces points in the 4th quarter, while Damiris Dantas scored 6 off the bench for Indiana.
KEY STATS
It has been 1,645 days since Breonna Taylor was murdered. In 2022, three officers were federally charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and civil rights violations. One of the officers later pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy, marking the first conviction in the case. A second officer went to trial on October 30, 2023, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict and a mistrial was declared. Charges were refiled, and the new trial is scheduled for October 14, 2024.
The ACLU is currently tracking 530 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States, up from 515 at the start of the 2024 WNBA season.
In order to register online to vote in Nevada, eligible voters must do so 5 days before Election Day. The next presidential election is on November 5, 2024. Registration by mail must be postmarked 28 days before Election Day. In person registration is available up to and including on Election Day. For additional information, please visit the Nevada Secretary of State website. For information on how to register and where to vote in your state, please visit usa.gov.
The Aces shot 28 of 70 from the field (.400) and 9 of 30 from 3-point range (.300), while the Fever made 28 of 62 (.452) overall and 7 of 23 (.304) from distance.
Indiana made 11 of 20 free throws while Las Vegas went 13 of 18.
The Fever outscored Las Vegas 34-26 in the paint, 5-2 on second chances and 11-5 on the fast break.
The Aces scored 9 points off the Fever’s 15 turnovers and gave 8 points off their own 9 miscues.
The Aces dished out 22 assists on 28 field goals (Gray and Young had 6 each). In contrast, the Fever had 17 assists on 28 made field goals.
The Fever bench outscored the Aces reserves 17-12.
GAME NOTES
A’ja Wilson Section (15 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocked shots, 1 turnover)
Wilson now has 971 points for the season, extending her WNBA single season record which she broke Wednesday evening. She now needs 29 points to become the first player in league history to score 1,000 points in a season.
Wilson extended her streak of consecutive double-digit scoring efforts to 49 games—the longest active streak in the league, and is the 13th longest in WNBA history. Should she extend her streak by 1 more game, she will become the first player in league history with multiple double-digit scoring streaks of 50 or more games.
Wilson now has 2,071 rebounds for her career which are the 29th most in WNBA history. Next up on the list is Chasity Melvin in 28th place with 2,117 boards.
The league’s all-time 32nd leading scorer, Wilson now has 4,732 points for her career, moving her closer to No. 31 Alana Beard (4,740) on the WNBA career scoring list. Skylar Diggins Smith is next on the list with 4,772 points.
Wilson now has 435 rebounds for the year. She is 12 rebounds away from breaking the WNBA’s single-season record of 446 established by Angel Reese earlier this year.
Wilson now has 96 blocked shots for the year which are tied with Margo Dydek (2000) for the 10th most in the history of the WNBA in a single season. Only 2 players have ever blocked 100 or more shots in a year—Brittney Grier (3 times) and Dydek (4 times)
Wilson’s 2 blocks and 1 steal give her 163 “stocks” (steals plus blocks) for the year, extending her WNBA single season record.
Rest of the Team Section
Gray handed out 6 assists to give her 1,623 for her career—the 8th most in WNBA history. Candace Parker is 7th on the list with 1,634 dimes.
Hayes scored 6 points to give her 4,586 for her career, moving her closer to Penny Taylor in 35th place on the list with 4,606.
Kelsey Plum’s 4 made 3-pointers give her 103 on the season, making her the fourth player in WNBA history with 100 or more made 3-pointers in multiple seasons, joining Diana Taurasi (2006, 2018), Kelsey Mitchell (2023, 2024) and Arike Ogunbowale (2023, 2024). Plum also hit the mark in 2022 when she connected on 113 made 3s.
NEXT UP
The Aces return home Sunday for a 3 pm PT tip against the Connecticut Sun. The game is being televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.