Sportsnaut
Kelsey Plum recorded 18 points and eight assists and the league-best Las Vegas Aces rolled to a convincing 98-81 victory over the visiting New York Liberty on Thursday night.
A’ja Wilson added 16 points; Candace Parker registered 15 points, six rebounds and five assists; and Jackie Young had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds for Las Vegas (14-1), which won its seventh straight game. Chelsea Gray contributed 14 points, six assists and three steals in the wire-to-wire victory.
Breanna Stewart scored 16 points and Jonquel Jones added 13 for New York (10-4), which had its four-game winning streak halted. Courtney Vandersloot and Marine Johannes added 10 points apiece for the Liberty.
The Aces shot a stellar 58 percent, including 9 of 21 from 3-point range, while topping 90 points for the 12th time this season.
The Liberty shot 47.7 percent and were 8 of 20 from behind the arc.
Las Vegas rattled off the first 11 points of the third quarter to build a 60-42 lead.
Parker and Wilson each scored two baskets and Young drained a trey to cap the burst and make it an 18-point margin with 7:17 remaining.
Sabrina Ionescu made a 3-pointer with 6:56 remaining for New York’s first points of the third quarter.
Later in the period, Young connected on another 3-pointer as Las Vegas held a 73-51 lead with 2:26 left.
The Aces led 76-56 entering the fourth quarter before Kiah Stokes’ layup and Parker’s 3-pointer pushed the lead to 25.
Gray’s 3-pointer made it 88-61 with 5:48 left. A few minutes later, the benches were cleared as Las Vegas finished off the victory.
Plum scored 15 first-half points to help the Aces hold a 49-42 halftime lead. Stewart tallied 14 in the half for New York.
Las Vegas led 28-22 after the opening quarter and held its biggest first-half advantage at 45-32 courtesy of Parker’s 3-pointer with 2:50 left in the half.
–Field Level Media
