A’ja Wilson dribbled and made a stop at the free throw line, pulling up and grabbing a rebound in the first half to set a new WNBA single-season scoring record as she led the Las Vegas Aces past Indiana Fever. Wilson entered Wednesday with 929 points this season, trailing only Jewell Loyd’s record total (939) from 2023. He scored 27 to set a new league record against the Fever in Indianapolis. Wilson connected on 11 of 28 attempts and recorded 12 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals in the 86-75 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“I’m very grateful to be able to play with selfless women,” Wilson told reporters. “They give everything they have every day and they are clean.” This is what I like the most.
“My teammates are the side of the heart that keeps me. I don’t have zero points without giving the ball.” The Fever started the game on a 7-0 run, but the Aces finished the first quarter on a 12-5 run to take a 20-18 lead into the second. Wilson scored 10 straight points for the Aces as part of a first-quarter rally. The Aces opened the second quarter with a 10-3 run. They led 39-30 with 26 seconds left in the first half when Wilson hit his record-setting jumper from the left elbow. The Aces led 41-32 at the break. The Fever held a 25-23 lead in the third quarter, but the Aces and Wilson responded with 11 points in the final 10 minutes to seal the victory.
Veteran forward Alysha Clark and guard Tiffany Hayes scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, as reserves for the Aces. Aces guard Chelsea Gray had 11 points and four assists.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell scored 24 points in the loss. Clark made just 6 of 22 shots, including 1 of 10 from three-point range, for 16 points for the Fever. The Aces (23-13) sit at No. 4 in the WNBA standings with four games remaining in the regular season. The Fever (19-18), which has already secured a place in the playoffs, is 6th in the standings.
The Aces will face the Fever again at 7:30 PM EDT on Friday in Indianapolis.
“I’m honestly proud of what we did,” Clark said of the Fever’s effort. “I think we’ve been pretty resilient and hopefully we can shoot a little better on Friday.”