By Shawn McCullough

The Aces had no trouble closing out the best of three game series against Phoenix with a 117-80 win over the Mercury at Michelob Ultra Arena.

“Happy to put a team away,” said Aces head coach Becky Hammon. “Tonight, the offense was special, they played the right way and the ball went in.”

The Aces hit a WNBA record 23 three-point shots, blowing away the previous record of 18 set in the regular season by the Aces.

“It all looks good when the ball goes in the hole,” said Hammon. “Nice to see the ball go through the hoop and get a swagger going into the next round.”

“It was just like a barrage,” said Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard. “I don’t know if I have ever seen that.”

Aces guard Chelsea Gray was on fire, scoring 27 points, while going 7 for 8 from three-point range.

“It was a great sight,” said Gray. “It felt good and it felt fun.”

Kelsey Plum dropped 22 points, while A’ja Wilson added 17.

“We were just taking what the defense gave us,” said Wilson.

The season came to an end for the Mercury, who have had to endure countless obstacles throughout the season.

“There were a lot of challenges, but I am really proud of our team,” said Nygaard. “They have great fight, they have great grit, they are tough.”

The Aces will next play in the semi-finals starting Sunday, August 28 at home against either the Seattle Storm or the Washington Mystics.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

The Aces shot 64.1% from the field.
Las Vegas got eight three-pointers off the bench.
The NBA record in a single game was 29 by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2020.

Game Starters:

C – 41 Kia Stokes
F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 0 Jackie Young
G – 10 Kelsey Plum
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Dearica Hamby, out, right knee bone contusion