A’ja Wilson led the Las Vegas Aces to a 95-81 victory over the Dallas Wings on Wednesday night, scoring 36 points, 12 rebounds, and six steals.
Wilson became the first player in WNBA history to have at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals in the same game. She is also the only player to record at least 35 points and five steals in several games.
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Wednesday marked her 10th career game with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, making her the seventh WNBA woman to do so, joining Tina Charles, Breanna Stewart, Lauren Jackson, Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie, and Brittney Griner.
Wilson’s effort came in a violent game in which she was hit many times while driving to the hoop, causing fury among the Aces and earning coach Becky Hammon a technical foul.
“I just take what the defense gives me and just go with the flow of the game,” Wilson stated. “My teammates really just kept me afloat.”
She apologized for her actions against one of the officers “in the heat of the moment,” saying that it was aggravating. You simply want to make the appropriate decision. We didn’t understand the situation, and that’s okay. We’re going to keep playing and pushing. However, one thing about our locker room and who we are: we are not going to back down. I don’t think we’ve had any refs swing our way in a minute, so we don’t expect to receive anything. We have to go out there and take everything, so we’ll keep pushing.
Hammon stated that Wilson was “bruised from head to toe,” and that her star center told her she felt like she was playing the Dallas Cowboys.
Regarding Wilson’s performance and league ranking, Hammon emphasized her consistency and leadership.
“And then her game,” Hammon explained. “Do we need to emphasize that point? “I mean, she is the best in the world.”
Wilson scored 12 of her club’s first 20 points, while Tiffany Hayes scored her first basket in a Las Vegas uniform, giving the squad a 22-6 advantage.
The Aces led 29-16 at the end of the first quarter, having shot 63% from the field.
Las Vegas led by as much as 20 points in the first half before Dallas rallied to within 47-42 at halftime. Wilson ended the half with 20 points, nine of Las Vegas’ 18 field goals.
Jackie Young hit a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to push Las Vegas’ advantage to 63-52. Alysha Clark added another three-pointer to make it 78-61 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Kelsey Plum scored 20 points, and Young, who did not participate in the shootaround due to sickness, contributed 19 for Las Vegas (5-2). Hayes, who started all 40 games for the Connecticut Sun the previous season, scored 11 points for the Aces after joining on Friday.
Dallas (3-5) got 31 points from Arike Ogunbowale, who has led the Wings in scoring in all eight games. Teaira McCowan hit her first career three-pointer in the first half and finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Maddy Siegrist scored 14 points, while Monique Billings added 12.
Wilson is averaging 27.9 points and 12.6 rebounds, becoming the first WNBA player to score at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in the first seven games. Previously, no one had maintained such averages beyond the first four games of a season.
