Aces keep rolling with rout of Mercury, push winning streak to 9
Las Vegas – A’ja Wilson collected 19 points and 13 rebounds, Dana Evans scored 17 points and the AS of Las Vegas beat the Phoenix Mercury 83-61 Thursday evening to win their ninth match.
Las Vegas has not lost 111-58 at home against Minnesota on August 2, which pushed the team to the WNBA ranking at 14-14. Stimulated by their sequence of nine consecutive victories, the ACEs now have the third best record in the league at 23-14.
Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Nalyssa Smith scored 12 points each for Las Vegas, who won 11 of her last 12 and seven at home.
“My belief in them never hesitated,” said Aces coach Becky Hammon. “Our locker room, it would have been very easy to collapse in June when things did not go well for anyone – not for individuals, not for the group, not for anyone. And that only speaks the type of character we have and the ability to overcome the circumstances and to have a figure.
“Some changing rooms are really good at the start, then fade like the wear and tear of the season and stress and pressure are strengthened and the frames, and this team seems to settle with pressure.”
Wilson, who had his 18th double-double this season, had his 30-point channel for three.
Alyssa Thomas collected 17 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists for Phoenix (21-14). Sutou scored Sabally 15 points.
Sabally scored in the post to make a nine points match, but Evans responded with a Floater and Gray followed with a Fadeaway which made 59-46 at the end of the third quarter. The AS led the rest of the path two -digit.
The mercury was limited to low -season for the points (61) and the percentage of goals in the field (31%).
“We become a very dangerous group when we play defense like that,” said Hammon.
“It appeared with me very early that we will have to win defensively,” she added. “And there are simply too many good offensive teams in this league so as not to defend, so we made it the business card.”
Kierstan Bell struck a 3-point that gave the Aces the advance for good and triggered a 7-0 race which was 23-17 at the end of the first quarter.
Sabally converted a three-point game that reduced the deficit of Mercury to 37-29 with 1:41 to do in the second quarter, but Gray made a step-by-step jump, young, dropped his own Miss and Gray struck another rider to give the aces a 14-time lead.
Kahleah Copper (RIB) left the match after a collision with Wilson in the third quarter and did not return.
Information from the Associated Press and ESPN research was used in this report.
