Jessica Hill / AP
Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas, front left, knocks the ball from Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson (22) during the second half in Game 3 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, in Uncasville, Conn.
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 | 8:04 p.m.
Defense wins championships, and the Las Vegas Aces didn’t play any on Thursday.
Connecticut shredded the Aces to the tune of 55 percent shooting from the floor, handing Las Vegas a 105-76 loss and extending the WNBA Finals for at least one more game.
Las Vegas came into the contest with a 2-0 advantage in the series courtesy of two home wins, and the Aces got off to a quick start as A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young combined for 13 points to power Las Vegas to an early 15-9 lead.
But with a chance to close out the series and claim the franchise’s first championship, the Aces crumbled on the defensive end.
Sun forward Alyssa Thomas and point guard Natisha Hiedeman combined to go a perfect 6-of-6 from the field with nine assists to lead Connecticut on a devastating 23-4 run to close out the quarter stake Connecticut to a 35-19 lead. As a team, the Sun shot 82.4% over the first 10 minutes.
The home team’s run of dominance continued into the second quarter, as it took the Aces nearly four minutes to score their first points. By that time, Connecticut had extended its lead to 48-25, and at that point it appeared the Aces were dead in the water.
Chelsea Gray hit three consecutive 3-pointers to provide a bit of a spark, and Kelsey Plum drained a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to bring Las Vegas within 53-42 at the half. The Aces won the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 6 points on a Riquna Williams corner 3 midway through the period, but that’s as close as they would get.
Connecticut scored a layup just before the buzzer to gather some momentum, then opened the fourth quarter with two more consecutive layups against a tiring Aces defense to reestablish an 83-69 lead.
The comeback had run out of steam, and the teams will now reconvene here on Sunday for Game 4.
Thomas led the way for Connecticut with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, marking the first triple-double in WNBA Finals history. Six Sun players finished in double-figure scoring, led by Jonquel Jones’s 20 points.
As a team, the Sun shot 55.8 percent from the field (43-of-77) and 8-of-15 from 3-point range.
Young led Las Vegas with 22 points, and Wilson contributed 19. Gray tallied 11 points and seven assists.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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