LAS VEGAS, NV (July 12, 2022)—Las Vegas (16-7) withstood a furious second-half New York comeback, Tuesday evening, getting back to its winning ways with a 107-101 road win over the Liberty (9-14). Kelsey Plum scored a game-high 27 points, and A’ja Wilson notched her 50th career double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
KEY RUNS
First Quarter (Las Vegas 30, New York 16)
Tied at 5, the Aces went on a 15-3 run to go up 12, 20-8, with 2:41 to go in the period. Las Vegas held the Liberty to 31.5 percent shooting from the field, and out-rebounded New York 13-6. The Aces also dominated the paint to the tune of a 12-4 advantage. Kelsey Plum, fresh off of her WNBA All-Star Game MVP performances, led all scorers with 10 points.
Second Quarter (Las Vegas 52, New York 28)
Las Vegas outscored New York 22-12 in the quarter. The Liberty made 22.7 percent of their shots including 0 of 7 from three-point range.
Third Quarter (Las Vegas 71, New York 63)
New York chipped away at the lead, slicing the Aces’ advantage to 18 with 3:03 remaining. The Liberty then scored nine straight and 12 of the next 14, all courtesy of Sami Whitcomb three pointers. Whitcomb scored 15 points off the bench in the period. After being held to 28 points in the first half, the Liberty scored 35 in the third quarter. New York made 63.2 percent of its shots including 6 of 10 from distance.
Fourth Quarter (Las Vegas 107, New York 101)
The Aces led by as many as 15 in the final stanza, but New York cut the lead to 3 with 18.1 seconds remaining. Jackie Young made 6 of 6 free throws to close out the game for Las Vegas. Sabrina Ionescu scored 21 points in the quarter to lead the Liberty comeback, while the Aces made 15 of 16 free throws over the final 10 minutes, and connected on 73.9 percent of their field goal attempts.
KEY STATS
It has been 851 days since Breonna Taylor was murdered.
Las Vegas went 34 for 35 from the free throw line, while New York made 18 of 22.
New York made 15 of 31 three-pointers while the Aces went 7 for 21.
The Aces made 51.6 percent of their shots compared to 44.7 percent for the Liberty.
GAME NOTES
The Aces became the first team in WNBA history to score 100 or more points in 4 straight games against the same opponent.
Las Vegas set a WNBA record for highest free throw percentage in a game while taking more than 30 free throw attempts (34 for 35, .971)
The Liberty scored a WNBA record 73 points in the second half.
Sabrina Ionescu’s 21 points in the fourth quarter set a WNBA record for the final period in regulation.
Kelsey Plum scored in double figures for the 30th straight game and the 87th time in her career (27 points). It is also the 11th time this season, and the 26th in her career, that she has scored 20 or more points. Plum also connected on 3 three-pointers, making it 30 straight games in which she has connected on at least one from long distance—the longest active streak in the league.
A’ja Wilson scored in double figures for the 21st time this season and the 129th time in her career (23 points). She also added 14 rebounds, which is the 13th time this year and 50th time in her career that she has grabbed 10+ boards. It was also Wilson’s league-leading 13th double-double of the year, and 50th of her career. The fifth-year pro becomes just the 25th player in WNBA history with 50 or more double-doubles.
Jackie Young scored in double figures for the 19th time this season and the 60th of her career (23 points). It was also her 9th time this year scoring 20 or more points and the 15th of her career.
Chelsea Gray scored in double figure for the 17th time this season and the 14th of her career (14 points).
NEXT OPPONENT
The Aces remain on the road for a Thursday, July 14 meeting against the New York Liberty. Tip is slated for 8:00 am PT.