A’ja Wilson delivered an impressive performance with 24 points and 20 rebounds in the Las Vegas Aces’ 84-79 victory over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday, marking her first career 20-20 game. This remarkable achievement by Wilson was just the 21st time a player accomplished a 20-20 game in WNBA history. Contributing to the Aces’ success, Jackie Young tallied 27 points, with a crucial 3-pointer boosting Las Vegas to a 48-45 lead in the third quarter. Young went on to score on the team’s following three possessions, spearheading a 9-0 run to establish a 54-45 advantage.
In the closing minutes of the game, Wilson’s contested jumper and key free throws solidified the Aces’ lead, despite Seattle’s Jewell Loyd narrowing the gap with successful free throws. The Storm had the opportunity to tie the game on their final possession, but missed shots from Nneka Ogwumike and Loyd allowed Wilson to secure the rebound and seal the victory with two additional free throws.
Las Vegas, with a record of 14-7, improved to 8-1 this season with Chelsea Gray in the lineup. Gray posted 11 points and six assists, while Kelsey Plum contributed 13 points to the Aces’ winning effort. Loyd led Seattle (14-8) with 28 points, supported by Skylar Diggins-Smith’s 16 points and eight assists, as well as Ezi Magbegor’s double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Nneka Ogwumike ended her streak of 23 consecutive games in double figures with just nine points in this match.
Despite a slow start with 30 first-half points, the Aces managed to secure the win, marking their second-lowest scoring output of the season.