The Las Vegas Aces are moving on to the WNBA semifinals after a thrilling 74-73 Game 3 win over the Seattle Storm. The Aces, helped by another monster performance from A’ja Wilson, staved off yet another late comeback from the Storm to advance off a one-point win in a physical, defense-heavy game with multiple breaks to clean up blood.
After a blowout loss in Game 1, the Storm bounced back in Game 2 in front of a friendly Seattle crowd. But Las Vegas’ home advantage was dominant on Thursday, as the Aces fans were loud enough to drown out the court and lift the team to the win.
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Wilson looked unstoppable, earning 38 points (including 25 in the second half) despite the best efforts of her mark, the 6’6″ rookie center Dominique Malonga. And Wilson, the newly-named co-Defensive Player of the Year, looked unstoppable on the defensive end too.
In the Aces’ 25-point win on Sunday, Seattle got off to a rough start; on Thursday, the opposite was true. The Aces outscored the Storm 22-12 in the first quarter on Sunday, but on Thursday, Seattle took a 19-14 lead after one quarter.
Things got tight in the second quarter as Las Vegas came storming back. The Aces outscored the Storm 19-7 in the second frame behind a great quarter from Wilson, heading into halftime with a seven-point lead.
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The Storm kept pushing back in the third quarter, with Las Vegas hanging onto a slim lead. Seattle got within one point early in the fourth quarter, before the Aces danced away again.
Seattle finally tied things up with just over two minutes left on the clock, keeping the game neck-and-neck. But as the teams traded the one-point lead, Wilson pushed the Aces to stay in the game.
In the final seconds, Wilson hit a shot that bounced out, but Young was there to get the go-ahead put-back to retake the lead.
Seattle guard Erica Wheeler, who scored 16 points for the team off the bench, got a great look for the Storm to seal the game, but it bounced off the rim and sealed Las Vegas’ victory.
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The game marks the end of a stellar run for the Storm, who are eliminated from the playoffs after overcoming a late season slump and a brutal Game 1 loss in Vegas. But it will be the Aces moving on this time, advancing to their seventh consecutive semifinal.
Las Vegas will be facing the Indiana Fever, who surged to a comeback win to upset the No. 3-seeded Atlanta Dream earlier on Thursday.
This story will be updated.
