The Las Vegas Aces improved to a franchise-best 5-0 start after defeating the Atlanta Dream 92-87 on Friday.
A’ja Wilson, the reigning MVP, finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and three blocks, while Jackie Young scored 20, Kelsey Plum had 15, and Candace Parker had 13.
Cheyenne Parker led the Dream with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Allisha Gray added 16 points.
The game started with both teams trading buckets until late in the first quarter when the Aces would go on 9-2 run to close the quarter giving the Aces a 9-point lead 24-15. Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson was the only player in double figures at the end of first quarter with ten points on 4-6 shooting.
Atlanta scored first in the second quarter, cutting the Aces lead to six points, 24-18, but the Aces responded with a 9-0 run, extending their lead to 15 points. The Aces would not look back, leading by double digits the whole quarter and going into the half up by 15, 45-30. Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson lead the Aces in scoring at the half with 12 points each. The Aces defense was on full display in the first half, limiting the Dream to 30% shooting from the field while shooting 46%. In the first half, Dream guard Rhyne Howard was limited to 3 points on 1-8 shooting.
The Atlanta Dream outscored the Aces 28-27 in the third quarter, but they were unable to decrease the deficit to less than 11 points. Alysha Clark was huge off the bench for the Aces in the quarter, scoring eight points on 2-2 shooting from three, including a big three to close the quarter and extend the Aces lead to 14.
To begin the fourth quarter, both teams traded baskets, but Atlanta would claw their way back into the game with a 15-4 run, cutting the margin to single digits for the first time since it was 26-18 in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, Rhyne Howard would come alive for the dream, scoring 10 of her fifteen points in the quarter. After hitting a and one, Howard cut the Aces lead to two, 89-87, with 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Chelsea Gray would respond with a clutch jumper to put the Aces ahead by four with 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Kiah Stokes would block Howard’s three-point shot and knock down one free throw to secure the Aces 92-87 win.
The Aces will continue their road trip with a trip to Indiana to take on the Fever on Sunday at 1 p.m.
