Wilson, Hamby help Aces rally, beat Lynx 96-95
Jun 19, 2022, 5:39 AM | Updated: 5:42 pm
Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson (22) lays up the ball between Minnesota Lynx guard Moriah Jefferson (4) and forward Jessica Shepard (10) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, June 19, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
(Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 25 points, Dearica Hamby added 16 — including a 3-pointer in the closing seconds — and the Las Vegas Aces rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Lynx 96-95 Sunday.
Kayla McBride hit a 3-pointer and Jessica Shepard scored four point in a 7-2 spurt that trimmed Minnesota’s deficit to 93-91 with 1:38 to play. Neither team scored again until Chelsea Gray shook a reaching McBride with a behind-the-back move to get into the lane and kicked it out to a wide-open Hamby for a 3-pointer from the left corner to give Las Vegas a five-point advantage with 15.5 seconds left.
Shepard made a layup about 10 seconds later and, after a turnover by Gray on the inbounds pass, Shepard inexplicably drove for layup with 0.4 seconds left to make it 96-95.
Shepard had a career-high 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting, a career-best 18 rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes off the bench. In her fourth WNBA season out of Notre Dame, Shepard has each of her four career double-doubles this season.
Moriah Jefferson had 21 points and seven assists, Aerial Powers added 15 points and McBride scored 11 for Minnesota. The Lynx (3-13) have lost five games in a row and seven of their last eight.
Kelsey Plum, who scored five points on 2-of-9 shooting in the first half, finished with 21 points and six assists for the Aces (13-2), who have won four games in a row and 11 of their last 12. Gray had 16 points and nine assists and Jackie Young scored 13 points.
Minnesota’s Sylvia Fowles missed her fourth consecutive game due to a knee injury and her backup, Natalie Achonwa, has been limited to two games this season because of a hamstring injury.
Nikolina Milic hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring in the third quarter that gave Minnesota its largest lead of the game a 54-39.
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