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The Las Vegas Aces stared at the face of elimination as they entered Game 3 of their WNBA Semifinals clash against the New York Liberty. The Liberty has gotten the best out of them over the past two games, with Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart doing whatever it takes to avenge their loss to the Aces in last year's Finals. But even with the Aces' season on the brink of an end, no one thought of them as an easy out, especially when they have the services of reigning MVP A'ja Wilson on the roster.
On Friday night, the Aces showed their championship mettle by taking Game 3 at home and in rather dominant fashion with a 95-81 win. Buoyed by an elite defensive third quarter, Wilson and company live to fight another day as they keep their bid for a three-peat alive.
This season has been full of difficulties for the Aces. But they are not going down without a fight. As long as their season is alive and running, Wilson is going to give it her all. In fact, Wilson refused to go out of the game at one point, which shows how much this game meant to her.
“You can't sit down in a game like this. This is an elimination game. I cannot sit down, that's looking like giving up. That's looking like quitting to me. I know I had to come and be just who I needed to be for my team out of the gates and make sure that we understood what we needed to do here at home,” Wilson said in her postgame interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe.
"This is an elimination game. I cannot sit down, that's looking like giving up. That's looking like quitting to me."
—A'ja Wilson after helping the Aces force a Game 3 vs. the Liberty 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/2OhEgyLoz4
— ESPN (@espn) October 5, 2024
Wilson ended up with 19 points and 14 rebounds in 33 minutes of play; she rested for the final three minutes and 40 seconds of the game with the Aces up by 21 against the Liberty. If the game was a bit tighter, Wilson would have been out there on the court for longer.
Regardless, Wilson got some much-needed rest as the Aces took care of business early. But they of all teams would know that the job is far from finished. They are still staring in the face of a 2-1 deficit, although the odds should be in their favor to tie things up in the series with one more game at home coming up.
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A'ja Wilson, Aces get balanced effort from star-studded crew
The Aces have perhaps the best quartet in the WNBA; they have four Team USA Olympic representatives in the starting unit, and they all came to play with their backs against the wall. Wilson put up her customary double-double, but it was Jackie Young who ended up as the team's leading scorer with 24 on 10-18 shooting from the field.
Kelsey Plum was also very efficient from the field in the win against the Liberty; she scored 20 points on just 11 shots from the field. Meanwhile, Chelsea Gray conducted the offense well, as she tallied seven dimes on the night. The Aces also got some major production from Sixth Player of the Year award winner Tiffany Hayes. She scored 11 off the bench and was a +14 in 16 minutes.
There were some concerns surrounding the Aces after they lost Kiah Stokes to a concussion. They did not have the best depth in the first place, so losing a contributor like Stokes could have been big. But Las Vegas' heavy-hitters stepped up to the plate and delivered with their season on the line.
