A’ja Wilson finished with 28 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, while Jackie Young added 23 points and nine assists as the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Golden State Valkyries 91-81 on Sunday.
SAN FRANCISCO — The third quarter made the difference, and A’ja Wilson’s hands were all over it.
Wilson poured in 13 points in the period and added her usual defensive force as the Las Vegas Aces turned a halftime lead into a surge. Jackie Young matched the momentum with 11 points. helping Las Vegas outscore the Golden State Valkyries 29-13 to take an 18-point lead going into the fourth. The final score read 91-81 for the defending WNBA champions.
Wilson ended with 28 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. Young contributed 23 points and nine assists, going 9 of 17 from the field and 5 of 9 from 3-point range. NaLyssa Smith added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Aces, who improved to 5-3.
For Golden State, Gabby Williams led the Valkyries with 20 points. Janelle Salaun finished with 16, and Kayla Thornton had 12. Young’s shooting and Las Vegas’ control on the stretch were reflected in the numbers: after leading 43-41 at halftime. the Aces delivered a decisive scoring run in the third. and Golden State never recovered.
The Valkyries’ fourth-quarter attempt to claw back started with a jolt. Williams hit a 3-pointer that capped an 11-0 run, trimming the deficit to 85-74 with 1:52 remaining. Salaun answered with two free throws and then drilled a 3 that made it an eight-point game about a minute later. But the Valkyries couldn’t get any closer.
The struggles had shown up earlier, too. In the third quarter, Golden State made just 3 of 17 from the field (18 per cent) and committed five turnovers. The drop was particularly painful because Golden State had entered the game allowing a WNBA-low 78 points per game. Instead, it surrendered a season-high 91.
The injuries added another layer of uncertainty for Golden State. Veronica Burton went to the bench with about 3 1/2 minutes remaining and appeared to be in obvious discomfort as she grabbed at her left thigh. Burton, Golden State’s leading scorer at 15.9 per game, finished with seven points and five assists. There was no immediate word on the extent of her injury.
Chennedy Carter also had a difficult first half, taking a couple of hard falls. She walked slowly to the locker room at halftime, played only one minute in the third quarter, and then left the game. Carter finished with six points in nine minutes.
Las Vegas will visit Los Angeles on Tuesday. Golden State will host Portland on Tuesday.
WNBA A'ja Wilson Jackie Young Las Vegas Aces Golden State Valkyries Veronica Burton Chennedy Carter NaLyssa Smith Gabby Williams