This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Megan Gustafson poured in a career-high 24 points and Tiffany Hayes added a season-best 21 as the Las Vegas Aces defeated the visiting Dallas Wings 98-84 on Thursday in the final regular-season game for both teams.
The Aces (27-13), with four of their regular starters in street clothes on the bench, held a 15-point lead at halftime, built it to 20 after three quarters and cruised to the win. Dallas, playing mostly bench players in the fourth quarter, got as close as nine points down the stretch but succumbed.
The Aces knew prior to tip off that they could not improve from the fourth seed in the upcoming playoffs, giving them little to play for other than momentum for the postseason. Las Vegas will clash with fifth-seeded Seattle at home on Sunday and Tuesday in the first two games of the best-of-three series.
Both teams kept key players on the bench; Las Vegas played without A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Chelsey Gray, and Jackie Young while the Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale and Teaira McGowan did not suit up. McGowan’s absence was due to a one-game suspension for technical foul accumulation.
Sydney Colson had 13 points for Las Vegas while Kierstan Bell scored 12 off the bench and Alysha Clarke added 10 points.
Satou Sabally led all scorers with 25 points, with Jaelyn Brown adding a career-high 15 off the bench, Natasha Howard and Kalani Brown hitting for 13 points each, and Maddy Siegrist scoring 12 for Dallas (9-31). The Wings finished the season with nine straight losses.
The game was tied at 30 after one period before the Aces took charge with a 12-0 run to begin the second quarter, capped by a 3-pointer by Colson. Dallas swung back, drawing to within 49-42 when Jaelyn Brown canned a jumper at the 3:52 mark. But that seemed to reignite Las Vegas, which closed the half with an 11-3 spurt to carry a 60-45 into the break.
Sabally’s 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting led all scorers before halftime. Gustafson and Hayes paced the Aces with 11 points each in the first half while Clark and Colson added 10 apiece.
Dallas culled its deficit to 10 points on three occasions in the third quarter but could get no closer. Las Vegas led 88-68 heading into the final period.
–Field Level Media
