A’ja Wilson scored 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and the Las Vegas Aces rebounded from their first loss of the season with a 99-80 defeat of the visiting Indiana Fever on Saturday.
Wilson scored five points during an 11-3 run late in the third quarter that effectively put away Indiana (1-6).
Back-to-back baskets by Alysha Clark, including one of her two made 3-pointers on five attempts, added to the pivotal spurt. Las Vegas (3-1) extended its lead to 16 points going into the fourth quarter on the strength of the run, and it led by as many as 23 points in the final period.
Jackie Young added 22 points and six assists for the Aces, while Kelsey Plum finished with 20 points and seven assists. Kate Martin came off the bench to score 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting.
Rookie guard Caitlin Clark — who was instrumental in Indiana’s first win of the season on Friday with a pair of late-game 3-pointers — went just 2-for-8 from the floor and committed six turnovers on Saturday. She finished with eight points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Indiana shot 42.9 percent from the floor, cooling down after a hot first quarter.
The Fever raced out to a 28-24 lead through the opening 10 minutes but managed only 28 points combined over the second and third quarters.
Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 16 points. Temi Fagbenle scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Aliyah Boston scored 12 points in the loss, which capped a three-game road trip for the Fever.
For Las Vegas, the win capped a four-game homestand to open the season.
The Aces connected on 47.9 percent of their shots from the field, drilling 13 of 35 3-pointers. They often got out in transition against Indiana, collecting 19 fastbreak points to the Fever’s nine.
–Field Level Media
