The host Las Vegas Aces avoided what could have been the biggest upset of the WNBA season, overcoming an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat the last-place Minnesota Lynx 96-95 Sunday evening.
Leading 93-91 with 16 seconds to play, forward Dearica Hamby knocked down a corner 3-pointer for the Aces (13-2) to stave off a pesky effort from Minnesota (3-13).
In a moment of confusion, Lynx forward Jessica Shepard shot a fadeaway 2-pointer with her team down three as time expired. Aside from the mental lapse, Shepard was great off the bench. She posted 22 points, 19 rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes.
After putting on a poor display in the first half, Aces guard Kelsey Plum answered in a big way, leading the charge with 21 points and six assists. Plum scored just five points in the first two quarters.
A’ja Wilson picked it up in the second half as well. She led all scorers with 25 points, netting 17 points in the last 20 minutes.
All five Aces starters scored in double figures, with Hamby and Chelsea Gray finishing with 16 points and Jackie Young going for 13.
Lynx guard Moriah Jefferson was dominant, finishing the game with a team-high 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting along with seven assists. Aerial Powers added 15 points.
The Lynx scored 50 points in the first half, which was a season-high for the league’s bottom dweller. Jefferson’s long 3-pointer with 17.9 seconds left secured Minnesota a 50-39 halftime advantage.
It almost seemed that Las Vegas never felt much pressure, even when trailing by double digits. The Aces outscored Minnesota 34-24 in the third quarter, bringing the raucous crowd back into the game.
Minnesota was impressive on the glass, outrebounding Las Vegas 45-33. But the Aces were unstoppable in transition, picking up 20 fast-break points compared to Minnesota’s five.
–Field Level Media
