CHICAGO (August 25, 2024)—Las Vegas overcame some early shooting woes to lead by as many as 13 in the 4th quarter Sunday afternoon, but it took a buzzer beater by A’ja Wilson to help the Aces walk away with a 77-75 win over the Chicago Sky.
Wilson finished with a 20-point, 18-rebound double-double that helped move Las Vegas (18-11) to within a half game of Seattle (18-10) in the race for fourth place in the WNBA Standings. Kelsey Plum added 18 points for the Aces, while Megan Gustafson, in her first start of the year, poured in a season-high 13, and Chelsea Gray chipped in with 11.
| W | L | GB | |
| New York * | 25 | 5 | — |
| Connecticut * | 22 | 7 | 2.5 |
| Minnesota * | 22 | 8 | 3.0 |
| Seattle | 18 | 10 | 6.0 |
| Las Vegas | 18 | 11 | 6.5 |
| * Clinched Playoff Berth | |||
Chennedy Carter’s 25 points led the Sky, who fell to 11-18 on the year—a half game ahead of Atlanta (10-18) in the race for the No. 8 seed. Angel Reese posted her 3rd straight game with 20 or more rebounds, snagging a career-high 22 off the glass.
Box Score | Highlights | Photo Gallery
First Quarter Highlights (Chicago 17, Las Vegas 12)
Neither team found their offensive rhythm in the early going as through the first 5:02, the Aces made 2 of 13 shots (missing their first 7 attempts), while Chicago went 4 for 11. Wilson scored Las Vegas’ first 8 points but finished the quarter connecting on just 3 of 13 from the field. Tiffany Hayes went 2 for 4 off the bench, but the rest of the Aces missed all 7 of their attempts. Michaela Onyenwere went 3 for 5 from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers to tie Wilson for high scoring honors in the period, but the Sky were just 7 for 19 from the field overall. Las Vegas missed all 6 is its 3-point field goal attempts. Chicago never trailed in the quarter, and led by as many as 7 points.
Second Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 32, Chicago 30)
Las Vegas found its footing in the second, outscoring Chicago 8-2 to start the period, giving the Aces their first lead of the game, 20-19. The Sky regained the lead two possessions later, extending their advantage back out to 6, 28-22, with 3:02 to go before intermission. Las Vegas scored 10 of the final 12 points to lead at the break. The Aces shot a much-improved 47.4 percent from the floor in the period (9-19), as compared to Chicago’s 27.8 percent (5-18). Plum and Wilson each scored 6 points for Las Vegas, while Carter’s 7 points paced the Sky.
Third Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 52, Chicago 52)
The Aces extended their lead to as many as 6 on two occasions, but the Sky went on a 12-2 run late in the period, and the teams entered the final quarter tied. Gustafson and Plum each scored 8 points to lead Las Vegas while Carter’s 10 points paced Chicago.
Fourth Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 77, Chicago 75)
Las Vegas scored the first 8 points of the quarter, and would go up by as many as 13 with 4:36 on the clock. It was still a 10-point Aces lead with 2:45 remaining, but Chicago went on a 12-2 run, capped off by a Carter 3-ball, which tied the score at 75 with 1.1 seconds remaining. On the final possession, Gray inbounded the ball from in front of the Aces bench, lobbing it to Wilson, who was slicing down the key around a Plum screen. Wilson snatched the ball out of the air, came down and went straight back up over Lindsay Allen for the game-winning layup. Gray scored 9 points in the period for the Aces, while Lindsay Allen scored 11 to lead Chicago.
KEY STATS
It has been 1,626 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 527 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States, up from 515 at the start of the 2024 WNBA season.
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The Sky connected on 7 of 15 of their 3-point field goal attempts (.467), while the Aces went 6 for 24 (.250)
Chicago outrebounded Las Vegas 15-8 on the offensive glass, but only had a 13-11 advantage in second-chance points.
The Sky outscored the Aces 14-8 on the fast break.
Las Vegas’ bench outscored Chicago’s 13-0. The Sky reserves went 0 for 11 from the field.
The Aces flipped 10 Sky turnovers into 15 points, while giving up 7 points on their own 4 miscues.
GAME NOTES
Wilson extended her streak of consecutive double-digit scoring efforts to 42 games—the longest active streak in the league, and tied for the 19th longest in WNBA history.
Wilson’s 18 rebounds give her 1,981 for her career, which are the 30th most in WNBA history. Next up on the list is Tammy Sutton-Brown (29th, 2,010).
Gray handed out 7 assists to give her 1,581 for her career moving her past Cappie Pondexter in 8th place on the WNBA’s career assist chart. Candace Parker is 7th on the list with 1,634 dimes.
Wilson scored 20 points and now has 4,531 for her career (35th in league history), while Hayes scored 6 to give her 4,503 (36th), Skylar Diggins-Smith and Penny Taylor are tied for 33rd on the list with 4,606 points
Wilson recorded her 18th double-double of the season (20 points, 18 rebounds) which is the second most in the league this season, and the 94th double-double of her career, which are the 7th most in WNBA history.
Angel Reese grabbed 20 or more rebounds for the 3rd time this season (career-high 22).
Las Vegas’ 4 turnovers are tied for the fewest they have had in a game in franchise history.
Tiffany Hayes became the 25th player in WNBA history to have more than 4,500 points, 1,000 rebounds and 800 assists in her career.
NEXT UP
The Aces conclude their three-game road trip on Tuesday with a 5 pm PT a Dallas. The game is being broadcast locally on Fox 5 and the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network.