Jackie Young, A’ja Wilson steer Aces to blowout of Sun

The Las Vegas Aces recovered from a slow first half by producing a dominant second half, securing a 101-78 victory over the visiting Connecticut Sun on Thursday.

Jackie Young powered the Aces with 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists, making 10 of 21 attempts from the field overall and 4 of 9 from 3-point range. A’ja Wilson rebounded from a sluggish first half to finish with 20 points, hitting 9 of 19 field-goal attempts.

The Aces also got a season-best performance from reserve Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who tallied 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting in addition to grabbing nine rebounds.

Olivia Nelson-Ododa led the Sun with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Kennedy Burke (11 points), Leila Lacan (11) and Charlisse Leger-Walker (10) also tallied in double figures.

The Aces (25-13) snapped a two-game losing streak while the Sun (9-26) took their eighth loss in 10 games.

After a Lacan layup put the Sun ahead 52-50 early in the third quarter, it was time for the Young and Wilson show. The pair scored 16 consecutive points to put the Aces ahead 66-52, a lead they wouldn’t come close to relinquishing for the remainder of the game.

That margin grew as high as 24 points as Las Vegas completed a 3-2 homestand.

Although the Aces got 15 points from Young in the first two quarters, they only managed to bring a one-point lead to the locker room at halftime.

After the Sun rallied to end the first quarter down by just one, Connecticut closed the second quarter on an 7-0 run that trimmed Las Vegas’ lead to 48-47. A quiet first half from Wilson was one of the primary reasons for the Aces’ inconsistent half, as the four-time MVP tallied just seven points on 3-of-7 shooting.

In the first period, after a pair of Parker-Tyus free throws put the Aces ahead 21-11, the Sun closed the quarter on a 13-4 run led by Nelson-Ododa and Leger-Walker to climb within 25-24.

On the night, Las Vegas outshot Connecticut 49.3% to 45.3% from the floor and had a 40-23 rebounding advantage.

–Field Level Media