PHOENIX – Jackie Young scored 34 points and A’ja Wilson added 32 as the Las Vegas Aces shook off a slow start, beating the Phoenix Mercury 103-99 on Thursday night.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Kelsey Plum had 14 points for the Aces (6-5) who snapped a three-game losing streak without star Chelsea Gray. Las Vegas was 33-for-69 from the field (47.8%) and 13-for-30 (43.3%) from three.
Brittney Griner finished with 25 points while Diana Taurasi had 22 for the Mercury (6-7). Kahleah Copper ended with 18 points as Phoenix’s three-game winning streak ended with this result.
Young, Wilson Overcome Early Offensive Woes
After just a bucket a piece in the first 3:03 of the game, Taurasi created a 9-2 run for the Mercury off of 10 points in the first quarter, leading 28-12. Phoenix capitalized off of five turnovers from the Aces, netting 12 points.
The Aces were mightly struggling on offense to begin, shooting 5-for-17 (29.4%) from the field and 0-for-6 from three in the first, with Wilson having 10 of the 12 points for her team.
Needing a spark to snap out of Vegas’ funk, head coach Becky Hammond’s squad emphatically responded.
To begin the second, the Aces were 10-for-10 from three at one point, something Tibbetts never witnessed before.
“I think they made 10-for-10 threes, I don’t know if I ever seen that,” Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said. “We weathered the storm, I thought we battled. This is our fourth game together. This is the back-to-back [WNBA] champs, I don’t think we are very far away. I love where we are headed… We gave ourselves a chance to win.”
Not having a single point in the first, Young was on fire as she mustered 21 points in the second, going 5-for-7 (71.4%) from deep. A switch flipped for Las Vegas as they showed more urgency and fight following their slow start, outscoring the Mercury 42-23 in the second and leading 54-51 at halftime.
“We know how talented they are,” Taurasi said on both Wilson and Young. “You don’t become back-to-back champions without having great players. Tonight, both of them were spectacular. That’s why they are tough, you think you got one under control and the other gets loose, they are just a talented bunch.”
Our @AlecCipollini asked Diana Taurasi about the tandem of A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young. The duo combined for 76 points against the Mercury.
"We know how talented they are. You don't become back-to-back champions without having great players."#ValleyTogether #WNBA pic.twitter.com/roBgWMLGEz
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) June 14, 2024
Frustration started to mount through the facial expressions and body language of multiple Phoenix players as Young and Wilson continued to dominate while the Mercury received some question calls from the officials. In dismay over what was and what wasn’t a foul to the referees, the Mercury took 26 fouls compared to 16 by the Aces.
Both teams would enter the third frame and be going neck-and-neck onwards, trying to overcome the adversity they faced when receiving fouls. Griner netted seven points to push Phoenix within one at the end of the quarter, 75-74.
Reflecting on the challenges thrown their way, Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham did not hold back about how she truly felt about what happened.
“I think we came out really well in the first quarter,” Cunningham said. “Defensively we were on top of it, moving the ball offensively, shots were going in for us. Second half was a tough stretch, there was a lot of things we couldn’t control. The referees were awful tonight, absolutely horrible… I think we are going to be better from it. There’s a lot of things we can control. We are going to move on from it and will be alright.”
Nate Tibbetts and Sophie Cunningham commented on the officiating of Mercury vs Aces:
Tibbetts: "I'm kind of at a loss for words."
Cunningham: "The refs were awful tonight. Absolutely horrible. You can't miss that last call with [Kahleah]."#ValleyTogether #WNBA pic.twitter.com/SAwxsaMUsi
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) June 14, 2024
The final 10-minute frame presented the same tempo with the score being tied up multiple times before the Aces reclaimed the lead. Plum chipped in with six points in the fourth after just eight through the first three quarters.
To keep their hopes of advancing in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup alive, the Mercury needed a win no matter what. With the Seattle Storm beating the Dallas Wings 92-84 earlier on Thursday, however, Phoenix was eliminated from extending their run.
“We had some good stretches, some tough stretches,” Taurasi said. “Throughout all of the chaos, we figure out a way to stay in it and we will be better for it in the long run. It is our third or fourth game back as a whole team. Just really happy with our team.”
Next Games
Mercury: Home vs. Seattle Storm (9-4) | June 16 | 12 p.m. PT
Aces: Home vs. New York Liberty (11-2) | June 15 | 12 p.m. PT
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
