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LAS VEGAS, NV (AZFamily) — A drawn-out battle on the court ended with the Phoenix Mercury falling to the Las Vegas Aces 91-78 on Sunday. The Mercury will now travel back to the Valley of the Sun, looking to dig themselves out of a 2-0 deficit in the series.
Jackie Young scored 32 points, including 21 in the third quarter alone, for the Aces, while MVP A’ja Wilson snagged a double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally all finished with double-digit scoring for the Mercury.
With just five minutes left in the fourth, the Aces padded its lead to 19, with Young continuing her dominant run. However, Phoenix was hit with a blow as Sabally went down hard with just minutes left, slow to get up. She was helped off the court and was seen grabbing her right foot. Thankfully, Sabally was able to get back onto the court to make one of two free throws, cutting the deficit to 90-74.
Vegas took the first double-digit lead of the game to open the third. Phoenix’s frustration began to mount as Wilson nabbed another basket inside the paint, with some players calling foul on the play. Vegas took its largest lead of the game to end the third, topping the Mercury 76-61.
The game opened up in a fierce back-and-forth battle. Copper broke open the scoring with a three-point jumper, leading the Mercury to go on a run early on. With the Mercury leading 12-5, the Aces clawed their way back, erasing the deficit and tying the game at 16 apiece. Both teams traded baskets, but a two-point shot by DeWanna Bonner gave the Mercury a slim 27-24 lead at the end of the first.
Phoenix’s defense began to slip away in the second quarter. Up 29-24, the Aces took the lead thanks to back-to-back two-pointers from Wilson. Wilson then nabbed four points from inside the paint to put the Aces up 38-33, forcing Phoenix to take a timeout with roughly four minutes to go in the half.
Back-to-back driving layups from Megan Gustafson padded Vegas’ lead. Vegas continued capitalizing on the Mercury’s missed baskets and mistakes. With just seconds to go in the half, Copper had the ball stripped from her grip, and multiple missed shots from Thomas couldn’t cut Phoenix’s nine-point deficit. Aces led the Mercury 46-37 at the half, with 20 points and eight rebounds from the reigning MVP Wilson.
The Mercury will travel back to Phoenix for Game 3 on Wednesday, October 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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