A’ja Wilson makes the winning basket and Aces go 3-0 in the WNBA Finals
Led by A’ja Wilson, the Aces are one victory away from winning their third WNBA title in four seasons. The fourth game will be played on Friday at the Mercury home.
PHOENIX — A’ja Wilson hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds left, capping a stellar 34-point night and leading the Las Vegas Aces to a 90-88 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday for a 3-0 lead in the WNBA Finals.
The Aces are one win away from winning their third title in four seasons. Game 4 will be played on Friday in Phoenix.
Las Vegas had what looked like a comfortable 76-59 lead entering the fourth quarter, but the Mercury cut the lead to 84-83 with 3:06 left on a three-pointer by Kahleah Copper. DeWanna Bonner tied the game at 86 with a three-pointer with 1:33 left and made two free throws with 1:01 left to tie the score at 88.
That set the stage for Wilson’s heroic performance in the final seconds. The four-time MVP hit her spinning jumper over Alyssa Thomas and Bonner as the Mercury home fans groaned.
“I just needed the basket,” Wilson said. “I didn’t see who was in front of me. I didn’t care. It’s the finals.”
Phoenix had one last attempt to score, but Bonner’s quick jump shot was no good.
The 6’3″ Wilson continued his dominant postseason streak, making 11 of 20 field goals and adding four assists. He averages more than 26 points in 11 postseason games. Jackie Young added 21 points.
Wilson’s 291 total points in 11 games are a WNBA postseason record.
The Aces took a 2-0 lead after winning the first two games in Las Vegas, but the Mercury were hoping for a boost from their boisterous home crowd in Game 3. Instead, Las Vegas thrived in a hostile environment, displaying the composure of a veteran team that has been under pressure on numerous occasions.
Bonner led the Mercury with 25 points, while Satou Sabally scored 24. Copper scored 11 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter. Thomas was one assist shy of a triple-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Sabally left the game with 4:26 left in the fourth quarter when he became tangled with Young and then fell on Kierstan Bell, hitting his head on the side of his leg. Sabally remained on the ground for several minutes before she was helped off the court.
Las Vegas took advantage of a 17-0 run midway through the first quarter to take an early 21-8 lead and never trailed again. Jewell Loyd came off the bench and hit four 3-pointers in less than two minutes to lead the offense.
Phoenix responded with its own 13-0 run to tie the game, but was never able to regain the lead. The Mercury trailed 26-23 entering the second quarter.
The Aces pulled away at the end of the second quarter to go into halftime with a 55-43 lead. Las Vegas made 9 of 16 three-pointers (56.3%), including six from substitutes Loyd and Dana Evans.
Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said his team’s defense needed improvement after giving up 89 points in the first game and 91 in the second, but things didn’t improve Wednesday. The Aces took advantage of their early flurry of three-pointers to turn the game into another high-scoring shootout.
