The Las Vegas Aces A’ja Wilson led the Aces in scoring with 32 points against the Phoenix Mercury on Thu Jun 13, 2024 at Footprint Center in Phoenix (AP photo from Tue May 21, 2024)

By Barbara Mason

The Las Vegas Aces (6-5) had a molasses slow start in this game but went on to win the second and the all-important fourth quarter winning their matchup with the Phoenix Mercury (6-7) 103-99. A’ja Wilson had another double double with 32 points and 15 rebounds. Jackie Young had a banner evening finishing with 34 points and 8 rebounds.

Game recap: Brittney Griner and the Mercury jumped all over the Aces in the opening quarter of play leading after the first 12 minutes 28-12. The Aces had gotten a very slow start but began to turn things around mid-way through the second quarter hitting 9 of 10 shots and pulling to within 6 points 44-38 with 4:07 left in the half.

The Las Vegas fighting spirit could be seen on the players faces as they continued to inch closer to a lead. The Aces had gone on a 11-2 run. Jackie Young was having a banner game hitting 4 of 6 from downtown with 18 points.

Las Vegas had really settled down in the second quarter. With under two minutes left in the first half this game was tied at 49. The 16 point Mercury lead had dissolved and the Aces clearly had taken over the momentum of this game. There had been a 20 point swing in this game with under a minute left before the half. Las Vegas led at halftime 54-51. The Aces won the second quarter 42-23 in a wild swing.

Jackie Young continued to feel her oats hitting her fifth shot from downtown and finishing with 21 points through two quarters. A’ja Wilson had 15 points and 5 rebounds in the first half. The Mercury’s Diana Taurasi led her team with 15 points in the half and Brittany Griner finished the first two quarters with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

After the first quarter, the Aces were shooting around 44 % to the Mercury’s 64 %. By the half the Aces had totally narrowed that gap; Las Vegas was shooting at 54.5 % with the Mercury at 55.6%. The slow start for the Aces had turned around and they needed to take the same energy into the second half.

The Aces continued their comeback into the third quarter, and Jackie Young continued her reign of terror. She had already scored 27 points and was 7 of 11 from downtown four minutes into the third. The Aces continued to hang onto the lead but the Mercury were going nowhere.

The Aces needed to keep their foot on the pedal as Phoenix was going stride for stride with Las Vegas. Jackie Young tied her career high with 28 points as the third quarter came to an end with Las Vegas hanging onto a 75-74 lead.

The final ten minutes of play would prove to be a dog fight. The Mercury continued to knock on the door but Las Vegas stubbornly hung onto a 92-87 lead with under four minutes left in the game. With under two minutes on the clock the Aces had a 95-91 game.

Leading by a couple of points the Mercury were making it a real challenge getting into the paint for Las Vegas. This game went down to the wire with the Aces leading 99-95 with under a minute left on the clock. The final was 103-99 in a wild matchup.

A’ja Wilson finished with 32 points and 15 rebounds another double double to add to her string. Jackie Young had an amazing game finishing with 34 points and 8 rebounds. By the half she had already shot for 21 points. She was unstoppable. The high for the Mercury was Brittney Griner with 25 points and 9 rebounds. Las Vegas won this game at the line draining 96 % of their free throws along with some impressive defense.

Game notes: The Aces were struggling. They are still missing Chelsea Gray, they had lost 3 games in a row and were losing their way at times on both ends of the ball especially defensively. Thursday night they ended the three game skid against the Mercury at Footprint Center. The Aces will were able to get back on the winning track and avoided getting manhandled like some teams did across the league. Las Vegas were able to strive to start fast and finish hot. With the likes of A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Tiffany Hayes off the bench it is difficult to understand why they even had this losing streak.

Saturday afternoon the Aces face a huge challenge as they take on their rival, the New York Liberty. The Liberty currently have an 11-2 record. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 12:00 PM and can be viewed on ABC TV.