Aces rebound to rock Sun on road, earn third win over Connecticut this year

Las Vegas guard Chelsea Gray pushes through two defenders for a layup attempt. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

Las Vegas got its overall record back even behind a big showing in the middle of a long road trip in familiar territory.

The Aces thumped the Connecticut Sun for a third time this season, this time by a final score of 86-68, Sunday, July 6 from the Mohegan Sun Arena. All three victories over Connecticut this season have come by 25, 26 and now 18 points.

“We got embarrassed against Indiana,” forward A’ja Wilson said. “So we understood we didn’t want to go down that road anymore. We get tired of living in that space.”

Entering Sunday, Las Vegas sat in the ninth spot in the league with a sub .500 record having lost seven of its last 11 contests.

Now sitting with a 9-9 overall record, the Aces will look to continue its season-long road trip with the final two games of the slate. Up next, the team will encounter a rematch from this year’s season opener against the reigning champions, the New York Liberty.

“I think [teams] are coming at us because we haven’t had success,” guard Chelsea Gray said. “When you have somebody who has sustained that for multiple years in a row, I think you’re going to get everybody’s best shot.”

That playoff rematch from the past two seasons will be played Tuesday, July 8 from the Barclays Center with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m.

Aces forward NaLyssa Smith plays in her first game with the team since being traded from the Dallas Wings. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

Gray made history in a fast-paced follow-up for a Las Vegas team that was held to a franchise-low 54 points in the team’s last outing. She racked up plenty of first half assists to help her team build a commanding lead.

As a team, the healthy ball movement saw the team pump out 12 points in the paint in the game’s opening quarter. In total, the entire Connecticut team had 12 points after the first quarter.

However it was in the second quarter, where it appeared Gray began to play with the basketball on a string. She helped lead the team on a 13-2 run to push its lead to 11 points. Not long after, the team would be up by 17 points before the halftime break.

With 2:17 to go in the first half, Gray found herself with six assists on the day. With six assists, she sat tied with her head coach for the sixth spot in league history for most assists recorded. Early in the second half, she’d claim sole possession of the sixth spot on the heels of a no-look left-hand dime to Wilson for an and-one finish.

Gray concluded the night with six points and eight assists.

“It’s a great feeling,” she said. “It’s a testament to my career and kind of, what I’ve been able to do and sustain at a high level and win. In the forefront of my mind is trying to win more championships.”

Wilson led the team with 19 points on a near-perfect 8-for-10 from the field to go along with four blocks and two steals. She opened the game with eight first-quarter points on a very-efficient four field goal attempts.

Guard Jackie Young added 14 points and six assists as a newly-named all-star for the fourth time in her career.

Recently-acquired NaLyssa Smith made her first start with the Aces in just her second game with the club. She recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with two steals in 24-plus minutes.

“Lyss is a very fast learner,” Wilson said. “We’re throwing her in the fire. We’re taking her in live action and she is showing up every single time.”

Las Vegas guard Dana Evans races into the frontcourt during the team's road win over the Sun. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

Reserve guard Dana Evans posted her best showing since signing with Las Vegas in the offseason with 18 points in the winning effort. She did it all with four rebounds and three assists to go along with her 7-for-10 shooting numbers.

The 18 points scored for her are the most she’s tallied in a regular season game since early September of 2023.

“I just try to keep her as aggressive as possible,” head coach Becky Hammon said. “She’s so fast that I think she can go by anybody so I’m always yelling at her to just go by people.”

As a team, the Aces shot 54% from the field including nine made three-pointers, with seven coming in the second half. Moreover, seven different players recorded a made three on the night.

Through three games against Connecticut this season, Las Vegas has made 30 total threes.