The defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces made quick work of their first-round opponent by completing the two-game sweep of the Chicago Sky on Sunday afternoon with a series-clinching 92-70 victory.
Aces star power forward A’ja Wilson was dominant as she scored a playoff career-high of 38 points. Wilson’s shooting was extremely efficient. She made 15 of 23 shots from the floor, and in addition to her scoring, the 6-foot-4 Wilson also added 16 rebounds.
A’ja Wilson’s 38-point performance is a new franchise record for most points in a playoff game. Wilson only needed 30 minutes of playing time to surpass the record that was previously held by her coach Becky Hammon.
In the opening quarter, number 22 enforced her will on both offense and defense. On the offensive side of the ball, she scored 10 points, and on defense, A’ja Wilson had three steals and three blocks. At the conclusion of the first quarter, Las Vegas held a 23-14 lead.
The two-time league MVP continued to be the main scoring option in the second quarter while her teammate Chelsea Gray was the facilitator of the Aces offense with seven first-half assists, as Las Vegas went to halftime with a comfortable 44-29 lead.
The Aces were in complete control during the first half of the contest, and they continued to experience the same type of success during the third quarter. A’ja Wilson had a stretch where she scored eight straight points which gave Las Vegas a 67-39 lead with under two minutes to go in the third quarter.
Led in scoring by Kahleah Copper, the determined Chicago Sky tried to mount a comeback by starting the fourth quarter with a 17-2 run. They were able to trim the deficit down to single digits, and with 6:26 left to play, the Sky trailed by the scores of 71-62.
Unfortunately for the Sky, their comeback effort took a severe blow when Chelsea Gray hit a three-point shot, A’ja Wilson contributed 5 points, then Kelsey Plum and Alysha Clark hit back-to-back three-point shots. The Aces put together a 14-0 run that pushed their lead to 85-62 with 3:51 left to go in the game.
In the final minutes of the game, the Aces were able to secure the series clinching victory by the scores of 92-70 and advance to the semi-finals. Now, the defending champion Las Vegas Aces will have a week to rest as they will play host to the winner of the Dallas Wings versus Atlanta Dream series.
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