Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) shoots over Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0), as forward NaLyssa Smith (3) defends in the first half at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Sun Jul 12, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Rich Perez
The Las Vegas Aces (17-6) took on the Indiana Fever (13-9) Sunday evening at Michelob ULTRA Arena after losing to them a week ago both games being played in Las Vegas. The Aces were looking for some payback in this game but it was the Fever that ruled the roost in this game.
After three quarters, the Fever had an 80-64 lead and had led the entire game. Indiana had totally disrupted the Aces normal. They played fast early pushing the pace and forced the Aces to defend before they could get set.
This sort of play wore down the Aces. The points from beyond the arc were a huge part of the success Indiana had. The Fever crowded the passing lanes making it tough to get the ball inside to A’Ja Wilson. Wilson was not getting the clean looks that she so often gets rendering her ineffective much of the time.
The bottom line was that the Aces felt uncomfortable for most of the game. Las Vegas has struggled in first halves and the Fever took advantage playing with higher energy from the start.
The fourth quarter was a nightmare with the Aces falling further and further behind. In the blink of an eye the Fever had a twenty+ point lead 102–75. The final was 109-75 in a game that the Aces look forward to putting in their rear view.
GAME RECAP
Las Vegas got a sluggish start in the first quarter of this game. The Fever had taken early control of the game and the Aces first points on the board came two minutes into the quarter. The Aces got within two points but the Fever held the lead for the entire opening ten minutes of play and led at the half 31-22.
The Aces had gotten a slow offensive start and the Fever pressured the ball well forcing Las Vegas into difficult looks. The Fever also did a better job on the glass creating extra scoring opportunities. Indiana got early production from their key players resulting in great momentum before the Aces were even able to settle in.
Early in the second quarter the Aces called a time-out. The Fever had continued to dominate offensively leading 37-26 two minutes into the quarter. Coming out of the time-out the Aces amped up the intensity which was short-lived.
With 3 1/2 minutes left in the half the Fever had a 51-40 lead and showed no signs of taking their foot off the pedal. They were relentless and with 2:06 left on the clock Indiana had taken their largest lead of the game 54-40.
Las Vegas fought hard but just could not turn their deficit into single digits. They trailed 59-48 going into the half and had a lot of work to do in the second half.
The Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell finished the half with 20 points and Aliyah Boston shot for 15. The Aces were having a lot of trouble shutting them down. The only Ace in double digits was A’Ja Wilson with 12 points.
The Fever had continued to dictate the pace in the first half while the Aces had far too many missed shots and came up too often with empty possessions. Las Vegas had to make some major second half adjustments.
The Aces had a far better start in the third quarter pulling to within four points in the early minutes and we had a ball gamel. The Aces were looking for their first lead of the game. The momentum that Las Vegas came into the quarter with disappeared as the quarter wound down.
The Fever continued to hit three’s already with ten while Las Vegas was struggling only hitting three. As the third quarter came to an end the Fever went into the four quarter with an 80-64 lead.
The Aces had made a nice run in the third quarter but let it go in the fourth. Indiana had outscored the Aces in every quarter of the game. The fourth quarter was the icing on the cake for the Fever outscoring Las Vegas 29-11 and pushing their lead out to 91-68. With under five minutes left in the game the Las Vegas starters were all on the bench the game a pretty much done deal. The final was 109-75.
GAME NOTES
The Indiana Fever controlled the game early with a strong start. The Aces once again struggled in the first half of the game. They played from behind the entire game and never led once.
The Fever defended A’Ja Wilson really well and she wasn’t able to dominate inside as she normally does. It was all Fever with Indiana quicker to snatch up loose balls and turned defensive stops into transition opportunities.
The Fever also spread the wealth around getting contributions from multiple players. They really got Las Vegas off their game and they were never able to recover.
Kelsey Mitchell was outstanding for the Fever finishing with 27 points. Aliyah Boston had a double double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Caitlan Clark and Monique Billings both had double digits. Indiana had amazing work off the bench from Sophie Cunningham who shot for 20 points.
It was a quiet offensive night for the Las Vegas Aces in this game. A’Ja Wilson finished the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds, a double double. The only other player for the Aces in double digits was Jackie Young with 15 points.
The Las Vegas Aces will get a nice break not taking the court again until July 20th taking on the Toronto Tempo. They will have time to re-group and come back into the season fresh. This game will be played at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:00 PM Pacific Time.
Sports Radio Service 