By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer
LAS VEGAS — A’ja Wilson and Dana Evans each scored 21 points, and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Phoenix Mercury, 89-86, in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday night.
Wilson scored 12 of her points over the final 14 minutes, and Phoenix’s Satou Sabally missed a long 3-point attempt with two seconds left that would have tied it.
Game 2 is Sunday in Las Vegas.
Evans led an Aces bench that outscored the Mercury’s reserves 41-16. Reserve Jewell Loyd scored 18 points for second-seeded Las Vegas, and starter Jackie Young had 10. Wilson had 10 rebounds, and Chelsea Gray had 10 assists.
Kahleah Cooper scored 21 points for the fourth-seeded Mercury. Sabally added 19 points and Alyssa Thomas had 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Copper scored 19 points in the first half, one off her playoff career high for a half. Her personal best also came against the Mercury, when she scored 20 points for Chicago in the first half of Game 3 of the 2021 Finals. Copper’s five 3-pointers in the first half topped her previous high of four for a game.
If this game was any indication, these Finals – a best-of-seven series for the first time – figure to be tight throughout. The largest lead was nine points, and there were 12 lead changes and nine ties.
The Mercury threatened to take control several times, only for the Aces to respond with a run. In the end, it was Las Vegas that nearly pulled away, only for Phoenix to keep it close.
With Phoenix Down a point with 24.6 seconds left, Thomas went to the free-throw line but missed both. Young was fouled on the other end with 13.5 seconds remaining and made both free throws for the final margin.
More to come on this story.
Related Posts:
- Aces looking increasingly hard to beat in WNBA Finals News LAS VEGAS — Will the Mercury win a game in these WNBA Finals? The problem for them is that the Aces are doing exactly what they set out to do — carry forward their championship experience while bringing new players into the fold. Now up 2-0 in the series, the…
- The one that got away: How former Sky star Kahleah Copper is leading the Mercury's Finals run News PHOENIX — She’s the one that got away. Scratch that. She’s one of many stars who have gotten away from the Sky. But Kahleah Copper’s departure hurt badly. She grew into a franchise player in Chicago and stuck around even after the 2021 championship core broke up. Entering her prime,…
- Gold demand puts Peru’s Amazon at greater risk from mercury poisoning, bishop warns News By STEVEN GRATTAN BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — As gold prices hover at record highs, a leading Catholic leader in Peru’s Amazon is urging countries that are destinations for the precious metal to help stem illegal mining that is poisoning rivers with mercury. Related Articles Buildings are turning to ‘ice batteries’…
- Yankees Bullpen Shakes Off Awful Start to ALDS, Picks Up Carlos Rodon In Game 3 Win Sports The New York Yankees bullpen has been playing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde all season. Yet, after two awful games north of the border, and facing an early five-run deficit in a game that could have ended New York’s season, its relievers came through. The Yankees bullpen, so maligned all…
- Ashton Jeanty Doesn’t Hold Back After Raiders’ Loss to Colts Sports It’s hard to find positives in a 40-6 loss and follow to 1-4, but the Las Vegas Raiders can look at the bright side and see they have a top talent at running back in Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty totaled 67 rushing yards and added 42 receiving yards, giving the rookie…
(Visited 6 times, 1 visits today)