Aces hold off Mercury to take 2-0 lead in WNBA Finals

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jackie Young set a WNBA Finals record with 21 points in the third quarter, finishing with 32 to carry the Las Vegas Aces to a 91-78 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday for a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 is Wednesday in Phoenix, where the Aces hope to put a stranglehold on the series as they chase their third title in four years. The Mercury have the tall task of needing to win four of five games to capture their fourth championship, which would tie the WNBA record.

Young, who tied a career playoff high in total points, fell just short of the league record of 22 points for any postseason quarter. Three players have accomplished that, most recently in 2021 when Young's teammate, Jewell Loyd, hit that number for Seattle against the Mercury.

A'ja Wilson scored 20 of her 28 points in the first half and had 14 rebounds. Chelsea Gray finished with 10 points and 10 assists.

Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 23 points, Satou Sabally scored 22 and Alyssa Thomas had 10 while coping with foul trouble much of the game.

Like in Game 1 when they began with a 10-2 lead, the Mercury came out strong, scoring the first seven points. Phoenix wound up with 27 points in the first quarter, but then the Aces held the Mercury to a combined 24 points over the following two periods.

By that point, the Aces had taken charge, leading 76-51 going into the fourth and eventually going up by as much as 22 points.

Any team facing Aces coach Becky Hammon in a Game 2 in Las Vegas is asking for trouble. She ran her record to 9-0 with this victory, the average margin being more than 17 points.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball