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Deja Kelly has been here before.
After hitting clutch shots throughout her college career at Oregon and North Carolina, the rookie point guard for the Las Vegas Aces added another on Tuesday.
Kelly’s midrange jumper with 3.8 seconds left gave Las Vegas the win over the Phoenix Mercury, 85-84, in the WNBA preseason.
Kelly finished with 15 points and two assists in 13 minutes played, having shined for the Aces in the preseason as an undrafted rookie. The game-winning shot was her fourth consecutive make down the stretch, as she found her spots in the midrange and went to work.
The preseason is moving steadily along for teams around the WNBA, with roster cuts coming each day ahead of the regular season-opener on May 16. Kelly may have solidified her case for a spot among the Aces guards, putting in another strong performance that included a game-winner.
At Oregon, Kelly led the Ducks to a NCAA tournament victory over Vanderbilt, eventually losing in the second round to Duke. She hit a game-winning shot on the road at Penn State earlier in the season, and hit two free throws late to beat rival Washington as well.
— Ryan Clarke covers college sports for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com or on Twitter/X: @RyanTClarke. Find him on Bluesky: @ryantclarke.bsky.social.
