SEATTLE (July 10, 2024)—A’ja Wilson had 24 points, 20 rebounds and went 10 of 10 from the line and Jackie Young scored 27 points to help the Las Vegas Aces (14-7) collect an 84-79 victory over the Seattle Storm (14-8), moving the visitors a half game ahead of the Storm in the WNBA standings, on Wednesday afternoon. Also scoring in double figures were Kelsey Plum with 13 and Chelsea Gray with 11.
Jewell Loyd scored a game-high 28 points for Seattle in the loss.
Box Score | Highlights | Photo Gallery
First Quarter Highlights (Seattle 17, Las Vegas 13)
After the Aces scored the first 4 points of the game, Seattle went on an 8-0 run and remained in the lead through the rest of the half. Seattle hit 35% (7-20 FGs) of their field goal attempts and held Las Vegas to just 27.3% (6-22 FGs). Wilson was held to just 1 of 7 from the field for 2 points, but grabbed 6 boards. Young scored 6 points for the Aces and 3 Storm players notched 4 points apiece.
Second Quarter Highlights (Seattle 36, Las Vegas 30)
Neither team put together more than a 5-point run and Seattle upped its lead to 6 points at the half. The Aces improved their shooting, hitting 42.9% in the second quarter. But so did Seattle, which made 53.3% of its shots from the field. Wilson hit 2 of 2 of her field goal attempts, 2 of 2 from the line and finished with 6 points and 5 caroms. Loyd topped out for the Storm with 5 points.
Third Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 55, Seattle 60)
Trailing 45-42, the Aces received 11 points from Young in a 13-0 run and led 54-45 at 3:09. While the Aces never again trailed, the Storm kept it close by outscoring the Aces 10-6 to end the 3rd quarter. The Aces netted 62.5% of their field goal attempts and their defense held the Storm to 31.8% shooting. The Aces hit 9 of 10 from the line to 5 of 5 from the Storm. Young scored 17 points on 6 of 7 from the field, while Skylar Diggins-Smith tossed in 8 for the Storm.
Fourth Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 84, Seattle 79)
Las Vegas went up by as many as 9 points early in the final frame, and Seattle was unable to reclaim the lead. Wilson scored 10 points in the final stanza and Loyd had 14.
KEY STATS
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The ACLU is currently tracking 527 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States, up from 515 at the start of the 2024 WNBA season.
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The Storm committed 13 turnovers which Las Vegas flipped into 16 points, while the Aces had 10 miscues which Seattle turned into 14 points.
Las Vegas made 42.9% of its shots from the field (30-70) and Seattle finished shooting 40.3% (31-77).
The Aces made 5 of 23 3-pointers, whereas the Storm went 3 of 17 from distance.
The Aces went 19 for 20 from the free throw line, while Storm made 14 0f 16.
The Storm outscored the Aces 46-36 points in the paint.
GAME NOTES
With 4 blocked shots to draw to an even 400 career blocks, Wilson became the 8th player in WNBA history with 4,000 points and 400 blocked shots. She is the second-youngest (27 years, 337 days) and second-fastest (210 games) to accomplish the feat, behind Lauren Jackson (26 years, 77 days; 209 games).
Wilson’s 24 points and 20 rebounds marked the 21st 20-point, 20-rebound game in league history.
Wilson extended her streak of consecutive double-digit scoring efforts to 34 games—the longest active streak in the league.
Wilson now has 1,874 rebounds for her career. She is in 31st place on the WNBA career rebound chart. Next up on the list is Cheryl Ford (30th, 1,907).
Wilson recorded her 12th double-double of the season (24 points, 20 rebounds) and the 88th of her career—the 7th most in WNBA history.
Wilson recorded her 12th 20-10 game of the season (24 points, 20 rebounds) and the 64th of her career
Wilson’s 400 blocked shots are the 13th most in WNBA history. Michelle Snow is 12th with 403.
Wilson’s 20 rebounds tied the franchise record held by Natalie Williams, Jayne Appel-Marinelli and Liz Cambage.
Gray handed out 6 assists, all in the 2nd half, and now has 1,540 for her career—the 9th most in WNBA history. Cappie Pondexter is 8th on the list with 1,578.
The Aces were without the services of Megan Gustafson who was not in attendance due to a non-COVID illness.
NEXT UP
Las Vegas remains on the road, traveling to Atlanta Friday for a 4:30 pm PT tip against the Dream. The game is being televised nationally by ION.