Aces Take Series Lead, Edge Fever 84-72 in WNBA Semifinals
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Jackie Young scored 25 points in her return to Indiana, and NaLyssa Smith contributed 16 points against her former team as the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Indiana Fever 84-72 Friday night, seizing a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five WNBA semifinal series.A victory on Sunday in Indianapolis would send the Aces to their third WNBA Finals in four years.
Young, a former Indiana high school scoring leader with 3,268 points and a member of Las Vegas’ 2022 and 2023 championship squads, emphasized the series isn’t over. “We just have to get the job done Sunday,” she said. “The job’s not finished yet. second round, right?”
Despite a sluggish shooting night from four-time MVP A’ja Wilson (13 points on 6-of-20 shooting, with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks), the Aces pulled away late in the fourth quarter. Chelsea Gray added 15 points and 6 assists for Las Vegas.
The Fever, playing without key contributors caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald, and Sophie Cunningham due to season-ending injuries, were led by Kelsey Mitchell with 21 points. Lexie Hull finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Aliyah Boston added 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.Indiana held a significant 16-4 advantage in offensive rebounds.
Indiana’s momentum stalled late in the game, enduring a nearly nine-minute scoring drought that allowed the Aces to build a commanding lead. Las Vegas capitalized with an 8-0 run, extending a four-point advantage to 71-59 midway through the final period.
“I thought we got a lot of good shots. Didn’t make a lot of them, you know,” said Fever coach Stephanie White. “We missed some opportunities at the free-throw line and then got a little stagnant. They were still in a good spot, though, as we were still getting stops until about the middle of the fourth quarter.”
Las Vegas established early control, opening the second quarter with a 6-0 run to build a 26-16 lead. However, a spirited Indiana crowd and Wilson’s shooting struggles fueled a Fever comeback, capped by three consecutive 3-pointers that brought the score to 35-34 at halftime.
The Fever briefly held their first lead of the game with a layup from Boston to start the third quarter, and maintained the advantage for much of the period before the Aces tightened their defense and regained control.
“We know how crucial defense is for us, that’s something that we’ve been really dialed into, something we’ve been focused on,” said Smith, who was traded from Indiana to Dallas before joining the Aces. “Defense is like our core focus.when our defense is on, our offence is 10 times better.”
