Aces Cruise Past Mercury In Game 2 Of The WNBA Finals

The Las Vegas Aces are halfway to another WNBA title as Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson combined for 60 points to lead the two-time champion to a 91-78 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday afternoon at Michelob ULTRA Arena, giving Las Vegas a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven WNBA Finals series.

Young tied her playoff career high with 32 points, 21 of which came in the third quarter alone, setting a franchise postseason record for points in a single quarter. Wilson added 28 points and 14 rebounds, marking her 25th career playoff double-double. Chelsea Gray recorded a 10-point, 10-assist double-double.

Phoenix was led by Kahleah Copper’s 23 points and Satou Sabally’s 22, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Las Vegas’ balance and efficiency.

The Mercury came out strong, shooting 45.5% from the field to grab a 27-24 lead after the first quarter. Copper scored 11 in the opening frame, while Wilson, Young, and Gray each had 7 for Las Vegas. But the Aces’ defense tightened in the second period, holding Phoenix to just 10 points on 27.8% shooting, including 0-for-7 from three-point range. A 17-4 run fueled by Wilson’s 13 points in the quarter gave the Aces a 46-37 halftime advantage they would not relinquish.

Las Vegas extended its lead in the third behind Young’s scorching stretch. The All-Star guard scored 21 of the team’s 30 points in the period, helping the Aces shoot 66.7% from the field to take a commanding 76-61 lead heading into the fourth. The Aces ballooned their advantage to 22 early in the final quarter and coasted the rest of the way, despite a late push from Phoenix that trimmed the margin to 12 with under three minutes to play.

Las Vegas shot 49.3% from the floor and 34.8% from three-point range, while holding Phoenix to 40.8% overall and just 17.9% from the deep. The Aces dominated on the rebounds 43-34 and got 16 points from their bench compared to only 8 for the Mercury.

Wilson extended her historical streak of double-figure scoring games to 34, the longest active run in the league, and tied Lindsay Whalen for fourth all-time in playoff free throws made (250). Though her streak of consecutive games with at least two blocks ended at 15, Wilson moved into sixth on the WNBA’s all-time Finals rebounds list with 132.

Gray continued to etch her name in postseason history, surpassing Courtney Vandersloot for No. 2 all-time in Finals assists with 109 dimes. She also became just the third player in league history with at least 800 points, 300 assists, and 200 rebounds in playoff competition.

The victory marked the Aces’ 49th consecutive sellout at Michelob ULTRA Arena and improved head coach Becky Hammon’s postseason record to 26-9 (.743), the best winning percentage among coaches with at least 10 playoff games.

Las Vegas will look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead when the Finals shift to Footprint Center for Game 3 on Wednesday, Oct. 8. Game 4 is set for Friday, Oct. 10. Both tip at 5 p.m. PT on ESPN.