This story was originally published by Dead Spin
A’ja Wilson collected 30 points and 14 rebounds as the host Las Vegas Aces defeated the reeling Chicago Sky 90-71 on Tuesday night.
Tiffany Hayes scored 20 points, Jackie Young had 15 and Chelsea Gray added 13 to go along with 10 assists as the Aces (21-12) won three straight games for the first time since putting together a four-game winning streak that ran from July 7-14.
Las Vegas cruised to the victory without guard Kelsey Plum, the team’s second-leading scorer and an Olympic gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Games. Plum was out with a right ankle injury.
Michaela Onyenwere had 15 points and Kamilla Cardoso scored 14 for Chicago. Dana Evans supplied 13 points and Angel Reese chipped in 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Sky (11-22), who lost their seventh consecutive game as they try to hold on to the final playoff spot.
Leading scorer Chennedy Carter missed her fourth consecutive contest for Chicago because of health and safety protocol.
The Aces led by 16 at halftime but saw Chicago get as close as 60-49 in the third quarter following a string of eight unanswered points from the Sky. Las Vegas built the lead to 68-51 by the end of the third, and the Aces were up by at least 10 for the entirety of the fourth.
Young had five points and an assist during an 8-0 run that gave the Aces a 17-6 lead. But Las Vegas went scoreless for the final 3:17 of the first quarter, and Chicago scored the final seven points of the period to get within 17-13.
The Aces ended the scoring drought just 12 seconds into the second quarter, and they quickly found themselves up 30-13 with 6:53 left in the first half after Gray drove the lane for a layup.
Onyenwere provided the Sky with their first points of the second quarter, converting a layup of her own at the 6:01 mark. Las Vegas took a 47-31 cushion into the break.
–Field Level Media
