AP Recap

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson and Dana Evans each scored 21 points, and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Phoenix Mercury 89-86 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday night.
Wilson scored 12 of her points over the final 14 minutes, and Phoenix’s Satou Sabally missed a long 3-pointer with 2 seconds left that would have tied it.
Game 2 is Sunday in Las Vegas.
Evans led an Aces bench that outscored the Mercury’s reserves 41-16. Reserve Jewell Loyd scored 18 points for second-seeded Las Vegas, and starter Jackie Young had 10. Wilson had 10 rebounds, and Chelsea Gray had 10 assists.
Kahleah Cooper scored 21 points for the fourth-seeded Mercury. Sabally added 19 points and Alyssa Thomas had 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Copper scored 19 points in the first half, one off her playoff career high for a half. Her personal best also came against the Mercury, when she scored 20 points for Chicago in the first half of Game 3 of the 2021 Finals. Copper’s five 3-pointers in the first half topped her previous high of four for a game.
If this game was any indication, these Finals — a best-of-seven series for the first time — figure to be tight throughout. The largest lead was nine points, and there were 12 lead changes and nine ties.
The Mercury threatened to take control several times, only for the Aces to respond with a run. In the end, it was Las Vegas that nearly pulled away, only for Phoenix to keep it close.
With Phoenix down a point with 24.6 seconds left, Thomas went to the free-throw line but missed both. Young was fouled on the other end with 13.5 seconds remaining and made both free throws for the final margin.
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson bounced back from a rare off game with 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Las Vegas Aces evened their WNBA semifinals playoff series with a convincing 90-68 Game 2 victory over the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night.
The best-of-five series heads to Indianapolis, where Game 3 will be played Friday night.
Wilson made 10 of 18 shots to go with playoff career-high five steals, two nights after the <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/wnba-mvp-wilson-aces-9dbf1eb3125c59797f4fd57737684b01" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">four-time MVP</a> made just 6 of 22 field goals. NaLyssa Smith added 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Jackie Young scored 13, and Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans each had 10 points. Chelsea Gray finished with 10 assists.
Odyssey Sims led the Fever with 18 points and Lexie Hull, who was questionable with a back injury and wore a brace while on the bench, scored 15. Kelsey Mitchell had 13 points and Aliyah Boston 10.
Mitchell scored 34 points in Game 1 as the Fever rolled <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-fever-las-vegas-aces-aja-wilson-17faa1779c3bebbf1c701cf8fc890396" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">to an 89-73 victory</a>, but she was held to 4-of-14 shooting on Tuesday.
The second-seeded Aces <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/wnba-playoffs-fever-aces-wilson-clark-c4d0312e83d13a8f98c9e7de06dd163b" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">came into the playoffs</a> on a 16-game winning streak, but barely got by Seattle in the opening round and then were blown out at home to open this series. This game, in which the Aces led by as many as 26 points, more closely resembled the <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/aces-lynx-wnba-playoffs-19860936d5c33ee4cef60365ceb1ad05" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">WNBA’s hottest team</a> at the end of the regular season.
But the <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-fever-playoffs-aces-wnba-52f2b57247f2d9affcd8a5503becdd41" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">short-handed Fever</a> have proven to be a tough out. Sixth-seeded Indiana upset No. 3 Atlanta in the quarterfinals, and now head home with the chance to close out this series. That despite entering Game 2 with six players out with injuries, including superstar Caitlin Clark, and another in Hull at clearly less than full health.

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Dana Evans

<ul>
<li>2021 WNBA Champion</li>
<li>2021 WNBA All-Rookie Team.</li>
<li>Selected No. 13 overall (first in the second round) by Dallas in the 2021 WNBA Draft.</li>
<li>Spent her first WNBA offseason playing in Hungary and since then has competed for Besiktas in Turkey.</li>
<li>A two-time All-American at Louisville, averaged 12.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 3.9 apg over 135 games in her four-year career. </li>
<li>2020 and 2021 ACC Player of the Year</li>
<li>2019 ACC Sixth Player of the Year</li>
<li>2018 ACC All-Freshman Team</li>
</ul>