Jackie Young, Aces deliver emphatic win over Storm

Field Level Media|published: Thu 20th June, 01:17 2024

May 19, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; a view of the ball in the second half of the game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Jackie Young had a massive night, firing in 32 points while leading the Las Vegas Aces to a comfortable 94-83 home win over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday.

Young, a two-time All-Star, connected on 11 of 19 shots to lead a re-energized Aces squad. Las Vegas had lost four of its last five games but grabbed a 5-3 lead on a Young 3-pointer a minute and 39 seconds into the game and never trailed again.

Las Vegas (7-6) also drew substantial contributions from A'ja Wilson, who finished with 27 points and nine rebounds, with 16 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. Las Vegas also got a solid outing from Kelsey Plum, who had 11 points and eight assists. Tiffany Hayes and reserve Alysha Clark each chipped in 10 points.

The Aces connected on 55.6 percent of their shots, including 8 of 20 from 3-point range.

Las Vegas further benefited from the return of point guard Chelsea Gray, who had missed the entire season to date with a left foot injury. Gray had a point and seven assists in 16 minutes of playing time, drawing a large ovation when she first checked in late in the first quarter.

Seattle (9-6) trailed by a double-digit margin seven minutes into the game and never really drew close. The Storm was hampered by a 1-point effort from leading scorer Jewell Loyd, who shot 0-for-9 from the field and scored one point. This was Loyd's first regular-season game with fewer than 10 points since Aug. 7, 2022, when she had one point in a loss to the Aces.

Seattle got 21 points from Nneka Ogwumike on 9-for-17 shooting. Center Ezi Magbegor added 19 points and 13 rebounds. Jordan Horston tallied 18 points and Skylar Diggins-Smith dropped in 10. The Storm committed 15 turnovers.

The Aces rode a hot-shooting first quarter to the win, racking up seven assists to no turnovers in the opening stanza as they reached a 29-16 advantage. Seattle pulled within 39-30 on an Ogwumike jumper with 3:40 to go in the first half but never drew closer. Las Vegas extended the lead as high as 20 points.

--Field Level Media

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