A’ja Wilson (22) of the Las Vegas Aces takes some practice shots before the game against the Phoenix Mercury at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Wed Jun 21, 2023 (AP News photo)

Aces Continue Rampage Across WNBA Dominating Mercury 99-79

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday afternoon the Las Vegas Aces (11-1) traveled to Phoenix to take on the Mercury (2-9). Las Vegas extended their winning streak to five in a row with a 99-79 win over the Mercury. The Mercury played without standout Brittney Griner who remains sidelined with a hip injury.

The Aces got a solid start in the first quarter and got an early lead which they built on for the entire quarter. With less than a minute left in the quarter, the Aces went on a 10-0 run and led after the first ten minutes of the game 32-19.

The Mercury continued to hang in the game losing the second quarter 25-21. They were close in this quarter but it was the slow start in the opening quarter that hurt them.

The Aces led at the half 57-40. At halftime Las Vegas already had three players in double digits. Jackie Young had the high score for the Aces with 16 points. A’Ja Wilson had ten points and eight rebounds with Kelsey Plum rounding out the top three players in the first half with ten points.

The Mercury were far more aggressive in the second quarter and the Aces would have to get on top of that in the third quarter. The Aces were dominating in points in the paint in this game. This team is solid on so many levels.

They are number one in blocks, steals, rebounds and field goal percentage with 57% shooting an average of 91 points per game. The Aces continued to extend their lead as the third quarter came to an end. They had their highest lead of the game after three quarters 87-60.

The Mercury were faced with a monster challenge going into the fourth quarter. Phoenix made a small run but it was not enough to erase the 29 point lead that the Aces had in the game.

The high for the Mercury was Sug Sutton with 21 points. The Aces had three players with 20+ points. Jackie Young had the high with 23. A’Ja Wilson had another double double with 12 rebounds and twenty points.

Saturday evening Las Vegas will welcome the Indiana Fever to Michelob ULTA Arena. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 6:00 PM.