Aces star Wilson has first 1,000-point season in WNBA

By Sports Desk September 15, 2024

A'ja Wilson became the first player in WNBA history to score 1,000 points in a season in the Las Vegas Aces' 84-71 win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.

Wilson finished with 29 points and reached the 1,000-point mark on a pull-up jumper with two minutes remaining.

Wilson's latest milestone came just four days after she established the WNBA single-season scoring record, breaking the mark of 939 points set by Jewell Lloyd in 2023.

The Aces have won seven of eight games and own a one-game lead over the Seattle Storm for the No. 4 seed in the play-offs and home-court advantage in that series.

Wilson wasn't the only WNBA star with a memorable performance on Sunday, as Caitlin Clark scored a career-high 35 points in the Indiana Fever's 110-109 win over the Dallas Wings.

Clark also added eight assists and combined with Kelsey Mitchell to hit 12 of Indiana's 16 3-pointers.

Clark has already established a WNBA rookie record with 761 points, and her 329 assists are the most by any player in a single season in league history.

 

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    When the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty played for the Commissioner’s Cup Championship in June, it seemed a foregone conclusion the teams would meet further down the road with much more at stake.

    That time has come, as the Liberty will host the Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday in a matchup of teams that posted the top two records during the regular season.

    New York went 5-0 in Commissioner’s Cup play while Minnesota posted a 4-1 record en route to a meeting on June 25 in the championship game of the in-season competition that started in 2021.

    The Liberty entered as the defending champions of the Commissioner's Cup and with a 15-3 overall record, while the Lynx came in with a 13-3 mark.

    Minnesota went on to win its first Commissioner's Cup championship with a 94-89 victory at New York.

    The Lynx also took two of three meetings in the regular season, but the Liberty (32-8) managed to finish two games ahead of Minnesota (30-10) in the final standings.

    “I think the regular season doesn’t mean anything, they are an amazing team,” Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier said.

    “It’s going to be a great series, great basketball. Two teams with great players competing.”

    Collier was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and was runner-up to Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson for the WNBA MVP award.

    Collier finished in the top five in the league in scoring (20.4 points per game), rebounds (9.7), steals (1.9), double-doubles (18) and player efficiency (25.7), but she’s been even more dominant in the play-offs.

    The sixth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft is averaging a league-high 27.1 points and tops all post-season players with a 32.9 efficiency rating to go along with 9.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.0 blocks per game.

    “She’s improved every season. She’s just been incredible,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said.

    “Every game, it’s more than scoring how she helps our team. When she plays like the MVP, we're tough to beat.”

    The Lynx booked their ticket to the WNBA Finals with an 88-77 win over the Connecticut Sun in the decisive Game 5 of the semifinals on Tuesday.

    New York has been idle since eliminating the two-time defending champion Aces in Game 4 of the semis on Sunday.

    “Talk about the schedule, who cares. Nobody’s going to feel bad for us,” Reeve said.

    “Got to go hooping right away and we’ll do that.”

    The Liberty exacted a measure of revenge on Las Vegas after losing to the Aces in four games in last season’s WNBA Finals, but star point guard Sabrina Ionescu said New York needs to remain focused.

    “We haven’t done anything yet, I think we all understand that,” Ionescu said. “We want to come out and continue to be the best team like we have been all year.

    “We’re three wins away, and that’s really important to understand. We’ve got to come out and we’ve got to punch because nothing has been given to us yet.”

    Ionescu and forward Breanna Stewart form an imposing 1-2 punch for the Liberty.

    Stewart averaged 20.4 points (fourth in the league) during the regular season and Ionescu added 18.2 per game. Ionescu ranked fifth in the WNBA in both assists per game (6.2) and 3-pointers made (107).

    In the play-offs, Ionescu is averaging 20.7 points and Stewart is pouring in 20.0 per game.

    Minnesota is playing in its record seventh WNBA Finals and looking to break a tie with the Houston Comets and Seattle Storm for the most titles in WNBA history with its fifth championship.

    New York, meanwhile, has lost in each of its previous five WNBA Finals appearances.

    “We're going to the Finals and we're hosting Game 1 and Game 2,” Stewart said.

    “We're ready to go. Just the feeling of not (being) satisfied."

    Game 2 is Sunday before the series shifts to Minnesota for Game 3, and if necessary, Game 4. A winner-take-all Game 5 would be in New York on October 20.

  • Coach Reeve 'overwhelmingly proud' as Lynx reach WNBA Finals Coach Reeve 'overwhelmingly proud' as Lynx reach WNBA Finals

    Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve says she is "overwhelmingly proud" of her team after reaching the WNBA Finals for the first time in seven years.

    The Lynx capitalised on a strong start, claiming an 88-77 win over Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of the semi-finals.

    It will be Minnesota's seventh WNBA Finals, a record for a team in the league. They have previously won four titles, the joint-most in the competition's history, and a win over the New York Liberty would move them outright top of the list.

    Reeve, who has led the Lynx to all four of those previous titles, was full of praise for how the team saw out the win.

    "I'm so proud. I can't tell you how badly our staff wanted it for them," she told reporters.

    "It's a really special group. The number of people who have reached out to tell me how much they enjoy watching them play and that they're rooting for them is incredible.

    "I feel overwhelmingly proud. We played Lynx basketball, and it was good to get back to it."

    Napheesa Collier led the team, tallying 27 points and 11 rebounds, with Courtney Williams also contributing 24 points to help them to the win.

    Reeve was impressed by both players, but in particular by the work that Collier has put in this season.

    "What makes [Collier] special is her consistency and the way she shows up every single day," Reeve added.

    "She's always the same, her work ethic, her demeanour, her passion for improving. She's just been incredible.

    "It's more than scoring how she helps this team. When she plays like the MVP, our team is where it needs to be."

    The Lynx, who finished second in the league and two games behind the Liberty during the regular season, have won three of four matchups with New York this year. That includes the WNBA Commissioner's Cup on June 25 to take the in-season tournament title.

    The Finals begin with Game 1 on October 10.

  • Lynx beat Sun to reach WNBA Finals Lynx beat Sun to reach WNBA Finals

    Napheesa Collier tallied 27 points and 11 rebounds and Courtney Williams contributed 24 points and both-ends-of-the-court energy to lead the Minnesota Lynx past the Connecticut Sun 88-77 and into the WNBA Finals for the first time in seven years on Tuesday night.

    Kayla McBride fueled a strong start with 10 of her 19 points in the first quarter for the Lynx, who advanced to face the top-seeded New York Liberty in Game 1 on Thursday night.

    The Lynx, who finished second in the league and two games behind the Liberty during the regular season, have won three of four matchups with New York this year. That includes the WNBA Commissioner's Cup on June 25 to take the in-season tournament title.

    DiJonai Carrington had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Brionna Jones added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Sun, who shot 38.5% from the field (25 for 65) and were forced into 19 turnovers that the Lynx converted into 22 points.

    DeWanna Bonner had 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting for the Sun, who were ousted in the semifinals for the fourth time in six years. They lost in the finals in those other two seasons, 2019 and 2022, when Williams was part of the core that still hasn't cleared that last hurdle to the franchise's first title.

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