Jackie Young returned from Berlin with a gold medal, another championship on her résumé and almost no time to settle back in.
She did not need much.
Young scored a career-high 35 points Thursday as the Las Vegas Aces beat the Seattle Storm 114-77. She poured in 22 points during the first quarter, the most by any WNBA player in an opening period this season.
Four days earlier, Young scored 18 points in Team USA’s World Cup championship victory over France and earned Player of the Game honors.
Then she came back to the Aces and picked up where she left off.
“I think just trying to come back and be locked in,” Young said. “We knew we still had four games left after the break. So I think just coming back, being locked in and trying to get the job done.”
Built for the workload
Young’s first quarter hardly looked like the work of someone returning from an international tournament.
She shot 8-of-9 from the field, made three 3-pointers and went 3-of-3 at the free throw line. By the end of the night, she had 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting with five assists.
The performance also came one day after her 29th birthday.
Young has carried a heavy basketball workload for years. She went from the WNBA season into Unrivaled, then international competition and now another playoff push.
She does not frame that schedule as a burden.
“I love playing basketball, so I don’t really think about it in a negative way,” Young said.
Instead, she points to the preparation that makes the workload possible.
“I spend a lot of time in the gym in the offseason, just trying to get my body right so that I’m able to play at a high level during the season,” Young said.
That became especially important in Berlin. Young said she prioritized treatment and recovery while playing for Team USA.
The work showed immediately against Seattle.
Wilson and Young grow together
Young’s career night also highlighted a partnership years in the making.
A’ja Wilson finished with 29 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Together, Wilson and Young accounted for 64 of Las Vegas’ 114 points.
Young traced their connection back to her arrival in Las Vegas.
“As soon as I got drafted, she took me under her wing,” Young said.
The relationship developed as Young’s game did.
“Obviously, it took me a few years to kind of catch up and get to where I needed to be in order for us to be where we’re at today,” Young said. “But she just stayed there alongside me through it all.”
Young also understood what her development could mean for Wilson.
“I knew if I got to the level I needed to be at, it would make her job a lot easier,” Young said.
Now, defenses have to account for both.
Young can score from deep, attack the midrange and get downhill. Wilson demands attention inside, off the dribble and increasingly from the perimeter.
But Young said the basketball fit is only part of it.
“At the end of the day, she’s one of my best friends,” Young said. “She’s been there through it all, my highs, my lows, everything.”
That trust showed Thursday. Young created for Wilson several times, including a sharp third-quarter pass from near the arc to Wilson underneath.
“She’s the standard,” Young said. “She’s the best player in the world.”
Brown settles in
Kalani Brown had a much different night, but hers also carried some meaning.
Brown made her Aces debut and finished with 10 points in nine minutes. She went 4-of-4 from the field with three rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Her first stint was quiet.
Then the fourth quarter arrived.
“I had a little jitters in the first half,” Brown said. “But obviously, once I got out there and got playing, I kind of felt more comfortable.”
Brown scored Las Vegas’ first nine points of the fourth. Mai Yamamoto, Chelsea Gray and Young all helped create looks for her inside.
The sequence gave Las Vegas a glimpse of what Brown could add as the postseason approaches.
“I’m super excited to be with this team, a part of championship culture and helping them win,” Brown said.
That phrase fit the night.
Young returned from another championship and produced a career high. Wilson answered a scoreless first quarter with 29 points. Brown found her footing in her debut.
The Aces came out of the break with four regular-season games left and little time to find their rhythm.
Young needed one quarter.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, 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.
