The Las Vegas Aces needed a response after two straight losses.
They got one from Jackie Young, A’ja Wilson and a third quarter that finally looked like the answer Becky Hammon had been asking for.
Las Vegas beat the Golden State Valkyries 91-81 on Sunday at Chase Center, improving to 5-3 and handing Golden State its second home loss of the season. The Valkyries fell to 5-3.
The Aces led by two at halftime, then took control with a 29-13 third quarter. After giving up 101 points to Los Angeles and 95 to Dallas in back-to-back losses, Las Vegas held Golden State to 13 points in the quarter and built a lead as large as 24.
Young flips the story
Young made sure there was no slow start this time.
After two scoreless games and a slow start before breaking through in Dallas, Young scored the first basket Sunday. Then she kept going.
Young finished with 23 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. She shot 9-for-17 from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range.
Her best work came in the third quarter, when she helped turn a tight game into a comfortable Aces lead. Young hit three 3-pointers in the period, assisted Wilson and Brianna Turner on baskets and stayed active defensively as Las Vegas pulled away.
Young did not just bounce back. She changed the game.
Wilson gives Aces the foundation
Wilson gave Las Vegas the kind of steady force it needed.
She finished with 28 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and one steal. She shot 11-for-22 from the field and 6-for-7 at the free-throw line.
It was the 93rd 20-point, 10-rebound game of Wilson’s career.
Wilson had 13 points and eight rebounds by halftime, then continued to control the glass and the rim as the Aces opened the game up in the third. Her defense mattered just as much as the scoring. Golden State finished without a blocked shot, while Las Vegas had eight.
Wilson supplied the foundation. Young supplied the heat.
Together, they gave the Aces the response they needed.
Third quarter finally belongs to Las Vegas
The Aces entered Sunday with questions about their second-half defense.
Those questions came after Dallas outscored Las Vegas 50-34 after halftime Thursday. This time, the Aces flipped the script.
Las Vegas led 43-41 at halftime, then opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run. From there, the Aces kept building. Young hit from deep. Wilson scored inside and at the line. Stephanie Talbot, NaLyssa Smith and the rest of the rotation kept possessions alive.
By the end of the quarter, the Aces led 72-54.
Golden State shot only 34% for the game and scored just 16 points in the paint. Las Vegas won the rebounding battle 45-33 and outscored Golden State 38-16 inside.
That was the difference.
The Valkyries made 16 3-pointers and shot 46% from deep, but the Aces took away too much of everything else.
Talbot gives Aces a needed lift
Talbot gave Las Vegas one of its best role-player performances of the season.
She finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two offensive rebounds. She also hit two 3-pointers, her first made threes of the season.
That mattered with Jewell Loyd unavailable because of a leg injury. Without Loyd, Las Vegas needed more from the rest of the rotation. Talbot gave them spacing, rebounding and steady minutes.
Smith added 15 points and nine rebounds. She shot 7-for-9 from the field and kept giving the Aces efficient interior touches.
Chennedy Carter also gave Las Vegas six points in nine minutes. She took a hard foul, limped briefly and hit the floor again, but stayed in the game and played through it.
Valkyries stay dangerous from deep
Golden State stayed close early because of the 3-point line.
The Valkyries hit five threes in the first quarter and nine by halftime. Gabby Williams led Golden State with 20 points, while Janelle Salaun added 16 off the bench. Kayla Thornton scored 12 and made four 3-pointers.
Golden State also had familiar Aces ties in the matchup. Kiah Stokes, who helped Las Vegas win championships, started for the Valkyries and finished with seven rebounds. Golden State coach Natalie Nakase also faced Hammon after the two shared the Aces bench during Las Vegas’ back-to-back championship run.
Still, the familiarity did not change the finish.
Las Vegas took over with defense, rebounding and Young’s shot-making.
Aces stop the slide
The Aces did what they had to do Sunday.
They ended a two-game losing streak. They protected a second-half lead. They won the third quarter instead of watching the game slip away. Most importantly, they gave up 81 points after allowing 196 total points in the previous two games.
It was not perfect. Las Vegas committed 15 turnovers, and Golden State’s 3-point shooting kept the game from becoming a complete runaway.
However, the Aces got the response they needed.
Young looked like herself again. Wilson delivered another 20-10 performance. Talbot gave them a lift. Smith stayed efficient. And the defense finally carried through the second half.
For one afternoon in San Francisco, the Aces stopped the bleeding.
Up Next
The Aces continue their road trip Tuesday, June 2, against the Los Angeles Sparks at crypto.com Arena.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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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.
