The Aces bounced back from a tough loss to the Liberty defeating the Storm 94-83. With the victory, the Aces move to 7-6, while the Seattle Storm fall to 9-6 for the season.
BIG DUB!!!#ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/xlxQwbNDcQ
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) June 20, 2024
Aces find their groove offensively
Jackie Young started the game on fire, scoring 14 of the Aces 21 points in the first quarter. Chelsea Gray returned to the Aces lineup with 1:41 remaining in the first quarter, earning a standing ovation from the Michelob Ultra Arena crowd.
WATCH: Chelsea Gray checks in for the first time this season
Gray had an instant impact after returning, racking up her 1500th assist on a pass to Alysha Clark.
Chelsea Gray records her 1500th assist with a pass to Alysha Clark.#WNBA #ALLINLV #POINTGAWDDDDD pic.twitter.com/zFr99x1uBo
— Dice City Sports (@DiceCitySports) June 20, 2024
The Aces led by 13 points at the end of the first quarter, 29-16, while shooting 52% from the field and assisted on 7 of 11 field goals. After Kiah Stokes hit a corner three in the second quarter, the Aces took their largest lead of the game, 18 points. They would go into halftime with a 15-point lead, 47-32, led by Jackie Young’s 19 points.
The Aces backcourt led the way in the third quarter, with Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young scoring 15 of their 19 points. Seattle, on the other hand, relied heavily on its fromtcourt, with Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor accounting for 16 of their 22 points. The Aces defense did an excellent job limiting Jewell Loyd in the quarter, holding her scoreless on 0-5 shooting from the field.
A’ja Wilson came alive in the fourth quarter scoring 16 of her 27 points in the quarter shooting 7-8 from the field. Wilson gave the Aces their largest lead of the game, 20 points, 84-64, midway through the fourth quarter. Seattle would go on an 11-2 run to trim the lead to 11, 86-75, but were unable to close the gap as the Aces defeated the Storm, 94-83.
Jackie Young led the Aces with 32 points on 11-19 shooting from the field (57%), including a perfect 8-8 at the free throw line. Young was also excellent on defense, guarding Jewell Loyd and holding her to 1 point on 0-9 shooting from the field and 0-3 from three.
A’ja Wilson finished the game with 27 points, increasing her WNBA record streak of games with at least 20 points to 18. Kelsey Plum finished with 11 points and eight assists, while Tiffany Hayes had 10 points and five rebounds.
Chelsea Gray made her return to the court playing 15 minutes and 30 seconds scoring 1 point to go along with 7 assist and 4 rebounds. Gray reached 1500 assists with her first assist, on a pass to Alysha Clark.
The Storm were led by Nneka Ogwumike, who had 21 points, 4 rebounds, and two assists. Ezi Magbegor scored 19 points and grabbed a game high 13 rebounds
Jordan Horston finished with 18 points, while Skylar Diggins-Smith finished with 10, rounding out the Storm’s double-digit scorers.
The Aces return to action on Friday against the 13-1 Connecticut Sun, with tip-off at 7 p.m. on ION.
