The Las Vegas Aces followed their bounce-back win in Los Angeles with another road answer.
After opening the season with a rough ring-night loss to Phoenix, Las Vegas picked up its second straight win Wednesday, beating the Connecticut Sun 98-69 at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Aces led 28-19 after the first quarter, took a 48-37 lead into halftime and broke the game open with a 30-16 third quarter.
The bench bought time. A’ja Wilson took over. Chennedy Carter finished the job.
A’ja gets there anyway
Wilson’s night started with foul trouble, not rhythm. She picked up her third foul with 6:25 left in the second quarter and played only nine first-half minutes.
That could have changed the game. Instead, it only delayed her impact.
Wilson came out of halftime and gave Las Vegas control. She scored 14 points in the third quarter, blocked a shot and helped the Aces turn an 11-point halftime lead into a 78-53 advantage entering the fourth.
Then she reached another marker. Wilson grabbed her 10th rebound 57 seconds into the fourth quarter, securing her 121st career double-double after foul trouble limited her first-half minutes.
Wilson finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and one assist in 21 minutes. She shot 8-for-15 from the field and went 6-for-9 at the free throw line.
Wilson’s first half was about foul trouble. Her second half was about control.
Carter keeps punching
Carter has quickly become one of the early stories of the Aces’ season.
Two days after scoring 22 points in a win over the Los Angeles Sparks, Carter came off the bench and changed the game again. She led Las Vegas with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting at halftime, then kept attacking in the second half.
Carter finished with a game-high 27 points on 13-of-16 shooting. She also had eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in 25 minutes.
That was more than bench scoring. Carter gave Las Vegas downhill pressure, pushed pace and helped turn a controlled game into a blowout.
Her fourth quarter made sure Connecticut never had a path back. Carter scored on a running layup with 8:51 left, added another driving layup at 7:44, scored again at 6:33 and hit a 3-pointer with 5:25 left to push the lead to 92-59.
Bench buys time
Carter was the headline bench spark, but she was not alone.
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus gave the Aces key first-half minutes while Wilson dealt with foul trouble. Parker-Tyus had eight points, five rebounds, three offensive boards and a block at halftime, helping Las Vegas stay in front without its centerpiece on the floor.
Parker-Tyus finished with 10 points, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 18 minutes. Jewell Loyd also gave Las Vegas an important lift, scoring 11 points and making three 3-pointers.
That mattered because the Aces did not shoot well from deep early. They were only 1-for-7 from three at halftime and 1-for-8 through three quarters, yet still led by 25.
Las Vegas eventually found enough late shooting, but the real separation came from pressure, defense and bench production.
Sun stuck at the line
Connecticut stayed within range early because of free throws, not clean offense.
The Sun had 37 points at halftime, but 14 came at the line. They shot only 31% from the field and 1-for-7 from three in the first half, which made the 11-point margin feel closer than the actual game flow.
That trend never really changed. Connecticut finished 23-for-70 from the field, shot 33% overall and went 3-for-13 from three. The Sun made 20 of 24 free throws, but they could not build enough offense from live play.
Aneesah Morrow kept Connecticut alive early with 15 points and nine rebounds at halftime. She finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, but Las Vegas contained the rest of the Sun offense well enough to keep the game from tightening.
Third quarter answers
The third quarter was the separator.
Chelsea Gray opened the second half with a fadeaway jumper, then Wilson scored in transition off a Jackie Young assist. Stephanie Talbot followed with a running layup, and Las Vegas quickly pushed the lead to 54-39.
Connecticut never recovered.
Wilson scored throughout the quarter, including a driving layup, two free throws, a 6-foot layup, another running layup and a turnaround jumper. Young kept feeding the offense, Gray added playmaking, and Carter closed the quarter with a running layup at the horn.
By then, the Aces led 78-53 and had removed any real drama.
Road response continues
This was the kind of response Las Vegas needed after getting handled by Phoenix in the opener.
The Aces beat the Sparks 105-78 on Sunday, then followed it with another decisive road win. They did it with defense, rebounding, bench production and a cleaner offensive identity built around pressure at the rim.
Las Vegas shot 54% from the field, outrebounded Connecticut 46-29 and held the Sun to 33% shooting. Gray finished with seven points, six rebounds and six assists, while Young added 11 points, six assists and two steals.
The Aces still have things to clean up. Wilson’s foul trouble is one item. The early 3-point shooting is another. But Las Vegas has now stacked two road wins after a rough start, and Wednesday’s game showed it can control a matchup in more than one way.
On Sunday, Young steadied the Aces and Carter punched off the bench.
On Wednesday, Carter punched again, Parker-Tyus bought time and Wilson made sure the game tilted for good.
Up next
The Aces stay in Uncasville for a quick rematch against the Connecticut Sun on Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT. The game continues a demanding early-season road stretch that sends Las Vegas from Connecticut to Atlanta, back home for one game against Los Angeles, then back on the road for games at Dallas, Golden State and Los Angeles.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
