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Las Vegas Aces duo Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson added two historic accomplishments to the record book in Thursday’s 114-77 road win against the Seattle Storm.
Young opened the game by scoring 22 points in the first quarter en route to a new career-high of 35. In the first 10 minutes, she shot 8-of-9 from the field with three made 3-pointers on four attempts. With the performance, she is now tied for the most points scored in a quarter in WNBA history, joining now-teammate Jewell Loyd (2021), Brittney Sykes (2019) and Diana Taurasi (2006).
The Aces guard, nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” was casual as ever following the scoring explosion.
“I thought I was just playing to my pace and getting to my spots,” Young said during a halftime interview on the broadcast. “My teammates were giving me the ball. I got hot for a bit, they were finding me and I was able to hit some shots.”
Young is on a statement run, fresh off bolstering Team USA to a fifth straight FIBA World Cup gold medal. She was the only U.S. player to score at least 10 points in every game of the tournament and won Player of the Game in the championship contest against France.
A’ja Wilson breaks WNBA single-season free throw record
In a quieter bit of history, Wilson in the first half broke the league record for free throws made in a single season (259 and counting in 37 games) before finishing with 29 points. The record was previously held by Loyd, who made 254 free throws in 38 games while playing for the Seattle Storm during the 2023 season. Before that, Katie Smith’s record of 246 had stood since 2001.
The regular season is longer than it was in 2023, as the league increased from 40 games to 44 in 2025 and will go to 50 games in 2027. That doesn’t impact Wilson’s record, as she missed three games this season due to a lower leg injury and load management.
Wilson entered Thursday’s game six free throws away from Loyd’s record, also holding the Nos. 3 and 5 spots on the league’s single-season free throws list after she made 248 in 2025 and 233 in 2023.
Following the Aces’ final practice entering Thursday’s game, Wilson sent a deadpan message to critics who claimed she gets better treatment from referees than other players.
“No,” she said when asked if the record meant anything to her. “Shoutout to my special whistle.”
As such, she made no reaction as she converted the historic shot from the charity stripe with 3:54 remaining in the second quarter.
Aces coach Becky Hammon had more to say about the feat.
“(It) just means that she’s a handful,” Hammon said on Tuesday. “I also think her ability to now shoot the 3 has really just made her that more difficult to guard off the dribble, so now she can put the ball on the floor. And obviously, people are always throwing double and triple teams at her. But the ability to put the ball on the floor so well, and finish with either hand, it really makes her a tough guard, especially off a live catch.”
Loyd, who was traded to the Aces in 2024, told USA TODAY she didn’t even remember setting the free throw record but praised Wilson.
“She probably should be shooting way more, to be honest,” Loyd said. “The fouls are something we see, but just getting more aggressive, she’s quicker to her spots, whether she’s catching the defense off balance and attacking that − I just think her reads are getting better and better.”
Wilson holds plenty of other records, most notably being the only player in WNBA history with four MVP awards. With league-leading averages of 26 points and 2 blocks per game, she appears to be headed towards a fifth such honor — which would be her third straight.
Young and Wilson are one of the league’s most prolific pairs. On July 31 against the New York Liberty, they became the first duo in WNBA history to each score at least 25 points in the same game 10 times, and now they’ve done it again.
Thursday was a record night for the WNBA, as Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard broke Sabrina Ionescu’s record for 3-pointers in a season in a win over the Connecticut Sun a few hours before the Aces took the court.