Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Las Vegas guard Dana Evans drilled a go-ahead three-pointer with 3:40 remaining, and the Aces held on to beat the Phoenix Mercury 89-86 in game one of the WNBA Finals in Las Vegas on Friday. A see-saw battle featuring 12 lead changes came down to the wire, with Mercury star Alyssa Thomas’s driving layup with 51.5 seconds to play pulling Phoenix within one point.
But Thomas missed a pair of free throws, and Jackie Young made two foul shots to push the Aces’ lead to three with 13.5 seconds left. Mercury forward Satou Sabally missed a three-pointer in the waning seconds, and Young came up with the rebound to seal it for the Aces, who host game two of the championship series — extended to best-of-seven for the first time this year — on Sunday.
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Evans finished with 21 points off the bench, connecting on eight of 13 shots, including five of six from three-point range. She added four steals, three assists, and two rebounds. “I’m going to be honest, I’m just like in the zone in the game, I don’t remember exactly,” Evans said of her crucial plays down the stretch. “I just want to win really bad, so whatever that looks like, whatever my teammates need from me, I’m going to do it, whatever it is, to win.”
Aces star A’ja Wilson, a four-time WNBA Most Valuable Player, finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Jewell Loyd added 18 points off the bench for Las Vegas while Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 21 points. The Aces, who won in 2022 and 2023, are trying to become the second team to win as many as three titles in four years. The Houston Comets won the league’s first three championships from 1997-2000.
The Mercury are chasing a fourth crown after victories in 2007, 2009, and 2014. The championship series tipped off amid off-court tension, with commissioner Cathy Engelbert under fire from players for her leadership on issues ranging from officiating to player compensation. Engelbert addressed the complaints before the game, saying she was “disheartened that some players feel the league, and me personally, do not care about them or listen to them.”
“If the players don’t feel appreciated and valued by the league, then we have to do better, and I have to do better,” she said.
© 2024 AFP
