The Las Vegas Aces are moving on to the WNBA semifinals after a thrilling 74-73 Game 3 win over the Seattle Storm. The Aces, helped by another monster performance from A'ja Wilson, staved off yet another comeback from the Storm in a physical, defense-heavy game with multiple breaks to clean up blood.
After a blowout loss in Game 1, the Storm bounced back in Game 2 in front of a friendly Seattle crowd. But Las Vegas' home advantage was dominant on Thursday, as the Aces fans were loud enough to drown out the court and lift the team to the win.
Wilson looked unstoppable, earning 38 points (including 25 in the second half) despite the best efforts of her mark, the 6'6" rookie center Dominique Malonga. And Wilson, the newly-named co-Defensive Player of the Year, looked unstoppable on the defensive end too.
In the Aces' 25-point win on Sunday, Seattle got off to a rough start; on Thursday, the opposite was true. The Aces outscored the Storm 22-12 in the first quarter on Sunday, but on Thursday, Seattle took a 19-14 lead after one quarter.
But in the second quarter, things got tight as Las Vegas came storming back. The Aces outscored the Storm 19-7 in the second frame behind a great quarter from A'ja Wilson, heading into halftime with a seven-point lead.
The Storm kept pushing back in the third quarter, with Las Vegas hanging onto a slim lead. Seattle got within one point early in the fourth quarter, before the Aces danced away again.
Seattle finally tied things up with just over two minutes left on the clock, keeping the game neck-and-neck. But as the teams traded the one-point lead, Wilson pushed the Aces to stay in the game.
In the final seconds, Wilson hit a shot that bounced out, but Young was there to get the go-ahead put-back to retake the lead. Erica Wheeler got a great look for the Storm to seal the game, but it bounced off the rim and sealed Las Vegas' victory.