Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) celebrates after drawing a shooting foul during the second half of an WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun at the Michelob Ultra Arena Friday, June 21, 2024.
Friday, June 21, 2024 | 9:05 p.m.
It was a total solar eclipse inside Michelob Ultra Arena on Friday as the Las Vegas Aces defeated the top team in the WNBA, the Connecticut Sun, 85-74.
It's just the second time the Sun has lost this season and the first time the Aces have won back-to-back games since late May.
The Aces found a lot of their success on the defensive side of the ball. They outrebounded the Sun 42-29, which is a season high. The bulk of that came on the offensive end, where the Aces had a 10-3 edge.
Connecticut shot for a low 42% (26-of-61) from the field. The Sun also didn't score a field goal for a five-minute stretch in the second quarter.
"A lot of it is just wanting to do it, so I think that's the biggest thing that switched up for us," A'ja Wilson said on the defensive effort. "On defense, we want to do it. We understand how valuable these games and these possessions are."
Wilson finished with a double-double with 26 points and 16 rebounds, tying a career high. She also extended her 20+ point game streak to 19 games, which is a new WNBA record.
Aces coach Becky Hammon has spoken about getting more out of her players throughout the season but with Wilson playing some of the best basketball in her career, Hammon said she's not sure how much more she can get out of Wilson.
"She's a beast. She just always does it the right way," Hammon said. "How much more can I get out of her? I don't know. She's really getting in great shape."
"You're starting to see her really engaged defensively and locked in."
Kelsey Plum followed with 18 points. She also downed her 1,000 career field goal in the finish. Alysha Clark had a strong night off the bench, finishing with 11 points.
Kiah Stokes neared a double-double with seven points and 10 rebounds. Chelsea Gray hit her first field goal since returning from injury, finishing with four points.
While Gray had only one assist against the Sun, her presence on the court has got the ball moving a lot quicker and efficiently. Wilson said that things have really settled in since Gray's return.
"Chelsea [Gray] gets us organized," Wilson said. "She gets us in a flow and a system that we're very comfortable with. She makes sure that the right people are getting the ball at the right time."
The Aces shot 47% (31-of-65) from the field and 25% (17-of-23) from 3-point range. They improve to 8-6 on the year, the first time they've been two games above .500 since June 7.
Things are on the upswing for the Aces, but they aren't looking back to last season. Wilson said that they'll never be the Aces of last year because of how different the game is.
"It's different. It's a different flow of the game. It's a different pace for all of us, and we have different teammates," Wilson said. "It's not going to be the same feel, but I think we are starting to form our identity that we're familiar with."
The Aces is off until Thursday when they travel to face the Chicago Sky. The game will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video.
"You're starting to see glimpses of us," Hammon said, "For the most part, I thought we had some really good stretches. It's just about being sharp for the full 40. We're getting there."
