LAS VEGAS – In a thrilling matchup, the Las Vegas Aces took down the Seattle Storm 78-67 in Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round playoff series. Aces star forward A’ja Wilson, fresh from being named unanimous league MVP, overcame a sluggish first half to lead her team to victory.
Wilson’s initial struggles saw her score just four points on 1-of-8 shooting, but she roared back to life in the second half, finishing with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks. “Sometimes you’ve just got to get out of the mud,” Wilson said of shaking off her poor start. “My teammates continue to never let me doubt myself. And I sometimes do… and they always pick me up.”
The Aces received a significant boost from guard Tiffany Hayes, who came off the bench to score 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Hayes’ mother, Dorothy “Jenny” Hayes, was in attendance, having flown in from Florida for the first time in her life. “I want to shout out my mom,” Hayes said. “She was my coach all throughout growing up. She had never flown before, and she flew out here. I’m glad she was able to come.”
The Aces, two-time defending champions, will host Game 2 on Tuesday. Wilson, who became the first player to top 1,000 points in a season, will look to continue her dominant form. “She gets us going. Her energy is there always,” Wilson said of Hayes. “That’s our game changer. She’s really one of our X factors.”
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