INDIANAPOLIS, IN (June 4, 2023)—The Las Vegas Aces (6-0) remained unbeaten Sunday evening as they erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit en route to an 84-80 road win over the Indiana Fever (1-4). A’ja Wilson posted a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Jackie Young scored 19, and Chelsea Gray added 17.
Box Score / Photos / Highlights
KEY RUNS
First Quarter (Indiana 28, Las Vegas 21)
The Fever jumped out to a 13-6 lead as A’ja Wilson (2-2 FGs, 2-2 FTs) was the only member of the Aces to get on the board in the early going. Wilson went on to score Las Vegas’ first 12 points of the quarter. Jackie Young scored the next 7 as the Aces retook the lead, 19-15, with 3:30 to go in the period. The Fever scored 7 consecutive points to go back on top. Wilson and Young combined to go 8-0f-11 from the field and score all of the Aces points, while the rest of the team went 0-of-7 in the quarter. The Fever shot 63.2% from the floor in the period, including 4-of-6 from distance.
Second Quarter (Indiana, 39, Las Vegas 38)
Neither team shot well in the second, as they combined to make 10-of-37 shots. Las Vegas scored the final 6 points of the quarter to slice the Indiana advantage to one. Aliyah Boston picked up her third personal foul with 4 minutes to go in the quarter, and logged just 8 minutes in the first 20 minutes of play.
Third Quarter (Indiana 63, Las Vegas 56)
Indiana scored 8 of the first 9 points of the quarter to go up 8, 47-39, but the Aces soon tied the score at 49 apiece. A late 12-3 Fever run put them back up 9, 63-54. Las Vegas made just 1-of-6 free throws in the period. Kelsey Mitchell played all 10 minutes, and scored a game-high 14 in the quarter.
Fourth Quarter (Las Vegas 84, Indiana 80)
Las Vegas trailed by 10 with 7:48 remaining in the game, but scored 8-straight to cut the lead to 2, 71-69. The Aces tied the score two possessions later, but again found themselves trailing by 5 with 2:50 on the clock. A 6-0 Aces run gave them a one-point advantage, and Las Vegas scored the final 4 points of the contest from the free throw line to eke out the win. The Fever turned the ball over 5 times in the quarter, while the Aces didn’t commit any, finishing with a 2023 WNBA low 5 on the night.
KEY STATS
It has been 1,178 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.
The ACLU is currently tracking 491 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States.
Indiana went 11-of-19 from 3-point range, while the Aces, who entered the game making 37.6% from afar, made 4-of-21 (19%).
The Aces outscored Indiana 44-28 in points in the paint and 17-11 in fast break points.
Las Vegas went 16-of-22 from the free throw line, while Indiana made 7-of-10.
The Fever bench outscored Las Vegas’ 24-5
The Aces committed just 5 turnovers which is the fewest in a WNBA game this year.
GAME NOTES
The Aces are now 6-0 to start a season for the first time in franchise history, and they have won 10-straight regular season games dating back to 2022.
Wilson scored in double figures for the 30th consecutive regular season game (season-high 27 points), which is the third-longest active streak in the WNBA, and the 6th-longest streak in Aces’ franchise history.
Wilson picked up 2 steals on the night, and now has at least 1 steal in 26-straight games which is the longest active streak in the league. The Aces franchise record is 28-straight games held by Sophia Young-Malcolm.
Wilson blocked 4 shots on the night and extended her streak of at least 1 blocked shot to 9 games, which is the longest active streak in the W.
Las Vegas had its streak of scoring 90+ points snapped at 6 straight, one off the WNBA record held by the 2010 Phoenix Mercury.
Wilson is 27 points shy of 3,000 for her career.
Wilson recorded her 3rd double-double of the season and the 57th of her career (27 points, 10 rebounds)
Candace Parker moved into sole possession of 7th place on the WNBA’s career assists list.
Riquna Williams did not dress for the Aces (lower back).
NEXT OPPONENT
The Aces continue their 4-game road trip making their way to Connecticut for games on Tuesday, June 6, and Thursday, June 8. Tip time both nights is at 4:00 pm PT. The Sun are 6-1 on the year following their 80-74 victory over Dallas, Sunday.