The first game in Connecticut was about the Aces’ depth. The rematch became one of the biggest A’ja Wilson nights ever.
Wilson scored 45 points, the second-highest regular-season total of her career, as the Las Vegas Aces held off the Connecticut Sun 101-94 on Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The only regular-season scoring night above it remains Wilson’s 53-point franchise-record performance against the Atlanta Dream on Aug. 22, 2023.
The Aces needed every bit of it.
After beating the Sun 98-69 on Wednesday, Las Vegas got the second-look push Becky Hammon warned about before the game. Connecticut won the possession battle, cut the lead to two late in the third quarter and made the Aces work until the final minute.
Wilson answered every time.
A’ja takes over
Wilson finished with 45 points on 15-of-18 shooting, went 2-for-2 from 3-point range and made all 13 of her free throws. She added three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in 32 minutes.
Two nights after foul trouble shaped her first half, Wilson made it almost three full quarters Friday before picking up her first foul. That control mattered as much as her scoring.
Wilson had 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the first quarter, 19 by halftime and 32 by the end of the third. She scored from the post, in transition, at the line and, when Connecticut finally made the game feel dangerous, from deep.
The Sun used an 11-0 run to cut the Aces’ lead to 72-70 with 1:13 left in the third. Wilson responded with a 24-foot 3-pointer, then followed a Cheyenne Parker-Tyus block with an and-one layup that pushed Las Vegas back ahead 78-70.
That was the game’s hinge.
The rematch got messy
Hammon said before the game that beating the same team twice in a row, especially this close together, would be harder.
She was right.
Las Vegas led 28-20 after the first quarter and 54-44 at halftime, but Connecticut never let the Aces fully run away. The Sun won the third quarter 27-25 and the fourth 23-22, largely because they kept creating extra chances.
Connecticut attempted 81 shots to Las Vegas’ 58, grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and forced 17 Aces turnovers. The Aces shot 60% from the field, but the Sun stayed attached through volume, pressure and second chances.
The halftime math told the story early. Las Vegas shot 66% in the first half, yet led by only 10 because Connecticut had already taken 15 more shots.
Las Vegas had the shot quality. Connecticut had the extra chances.
Rebel Reds, running start
The Aces debuted their Rebel Reds on the road and opened like a team trying to avoid every part of the trap-game script.
Wilson scored on the opening possession. Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray kept the ball moving, and Las Vegas jumped out with a 12-4 start built on transition pace and extra passes.
The Aces had nine assists on 11 made baskets in the first quarter. Young had four assists in the period, Gray had three, and Wilson did the early damage.
Chennedy Carter also got a different whistle after scoring 27 points Wednesday without a free throw attempt. She went 4-for-4 at the line in the first quarter and finished with 18 points, two steals and a block in 22 minutes. Carter shot 5-for-8 from the field and went 8-for-12 at the line.
Gray controls the table
Wilson’s scoring owned the night, but Gray gave the Aces the structure they needed.
Gray finished with 12 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and three 3-pointers. She also hit a fourth-quarter triple that pushed the lead to 88-74 after Connecticut had trimmed the game.
Young added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists. She also finished with a team-best plus-21, giving Las Vegas another steady all-around line on a night that got tighter than the first matchup.
The Aces had 24 assists on 35 made baskets. They shot 60% from the field, 46% from 3-point range and 78% at the line. They also blocked six shots and scored 101 points despite committing 17 turnovers and losing the rebounding battle 32-28.
Sun keep pushing
Connecticut got a balanced scoring night but never found an answer for Wilson.
Hailey Van Lith led the Sun with 17 points and hit three 3-pointers, including two late in the fourth. Saniya Rivers added 14 points and seven assists off the bench, while Kennedy Burke had 11 points and four steals.
Aneesah Morrow, who Hammon praised before the game for having “rebounding DNA,” finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She helped Connecticut stay alive on the glass, but the Sun could not turn those extra possessions into enough stops.
The Sun shot 44% from the field and 36% from 3-point range. They had 24 assists on 36 made baskets and only 13 turnovers, but Wilson’s efficiency was too much to overcome.
Elite in any gym
Hammon said before the game that the Aces needed to bring the same approach no matter the opponent, arena or setup.
“That desire to be elite in whatever gym you are in really has to come a lot from them,” Hammon said. “They individually have to want that greatness for themselves.”
Friday was not as clean as Wednesday. The glass was a problem. The turnovers kept Connecticut in it. The Sun adjusted and made the rematch feel like a real rematch.
But Wilson gave Las Vegas the difference between a game that got uncomfortable and a game that got away.
The Aces are now 3-1 and have won three straight since their season-opening loss to Phoenix, including two in three nights at Mohegan Sun Arena. More importantly, they have already shown two different ways to win in the same building: one with depth and defense, the next with Wilson turning the night into a career-level performance.
Up next
The Aces wrap their four-game road swing Sunday against the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena. Tipoff is set for 10:30 a.m. PT.
Las Vegas returns home Saturday, May 23 against the Los Angeles Sparks at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay, where the Aces are scheduled to raise their championship banner before tipoff.
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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.
