Las Vegas Aces One Win Away From Third WNBA Title: Lead Series, 3-0

The Las Vegas Aces have now increased their advantage in the WNBA Finals with a 3-0 series lead over the Phoenix Mercury after a game three win 90-88. The Aces who have been in the WNBA Finals fight three of the last four years are one game away from their third championship.

The hype going into the game was after losing a tight game one and being trampled in Vegas in game two, Phoenix returned to the Valley poised for a win. Surely in front of their home crowd the X-Factor they would pull out a win at home.

WNBA’s Only Four-Time MVP A’ja Wilson Led Aces Offensive Power

Instead of Phoenix arriving back at home and securing a win, Vegas continued their playoff surge led by the WNBA’s only four-time MVP A’ja Wilson who had 34 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks and 4 assists. Wilson’s stat line not only included another double-double but was historical as she has now scored more points in a single postseason than any player in WNBA history.

In addition to Wilson, Las Vegas received valuable production from guards Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd. Young finished the game with one assist shy of a double-double, 21 points and nine assists. In her role off the bench, Loyd continued to be the spark for Vegas with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Aces Blow Double-Digit Third Quarter Lead, But Hang on For the Win

Las Vegas Aces went into the fourth quarter with a 17 point lead after outscoring the Mercury 29-0 in the second quarter and 21-16 in the third quarter. However, Phoenix didn’t roll over as they fought back and brought the game under ten points in the fourth quarter at the 5:01 mark.

Then with Satou Sabally, the Mercury’s leading scorer out and off the court with an injury, Kahleah Copper entered the chat. Copper made 11 points in a matter of a minute and twenty seconds which brought the Mercury back within one point. Her three pointer at the 3:05 mark received the signature Ryan Ruocco “You Bet” as the X-Factor erupted.

The two teams exchanged baskets back and forth until 40 second mark when Wilson had a costly turnover and lost the ball out of bounds. It seemed the momentum had shifted in the Mercury’s favor.

However, Wilson is the MVP for a reason. After a timeout by Aces head coach Becky Hammon with five seconds left, Wilson launched and drained her signature mid-range shot elevating above her competitors with 0.9 seconds left on the clock. Who else would put the game away, seal and slam the door shut on the Mercury comeback other than the game’s leading scorer in Wilson.

Aces’ Wilson, Loyd and Hammon Gave Post Game Reflections on Crucial Game Three Win

In the post game press conference when asked about the last play called, Hammon said, “Give the ball to A’ja and get out of the way. That is all the play was.” Wilson expanded and said, “I feel like if a coach has to tell me what to do in that moment I am not doing my job.” She continued, “I am appreciative that Becky trust me in those moments, but those are the moments that you live for. I am glad I was able to show up.”

In situating the run that allowed Phoenix to crawl back from a 17 point deficit, Hammon stated, “It is a game of runs, but we threw a pretty good punch coming out and they crawled back. We threw another punch and they crawled back. I think to a certain degree, of course I want the game to be played out perfectly but you have to give them some credit for getting hot and giving themselves a chance to win at the end.”

Hammon extended, “However, I thought we had control of that game for the majority of that clock. That is a desperate team. They understood that they had to win that one. That is probably why it felt like that in that fourth quarter, that desperation and we were able to withstand that storm and frenzy of pressure, and the crowd and stay cool, calm, and collected.”

Lastly, the players recognized that this was the first time in Hammon’s tenure with the Aces that the team has won game three in the playoffs, a feat they were purposely and keenly aware of and wanted and succeeded in rectifying.

WNBA Finals Game Four

Both teams do not have much time for rest and recovery as WNBA game four is set for Friday, October 10 at 8 pm EST at 8 pm in Phoenix at Mortgage Matchup Center.