LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 22 points and became the fastest player in WNBA history to 5,000 points as the Las Vegas Aces beat the Connecticut Sun 85-59 on Wednesday night.
Wilson made a driving left-hand layup with about four minutes left in the first quarter to top the 5,000-point plateau in just 238 games. She has 5,015 career points. Breanna Stewart needed 242 games to score 5,000.
Connecticut (2-13) has lost seven in a row overall and six straight to the Aces, who beat the Sun 87-62 on May 20.
Jackie Young scored 20 points for the Aces (7-7) and Chelsea Gray added 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Jewell Loyd scored 13 points. Young, Gray and Loyd each hit three of Las Vegas’ 11 3-pointers.
LIBERTY 81, VALKYRIES 78
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu converted seven free throws in the final two minutes and made a key steal with 26 seconds left, Breanna Stewart had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and New York held off Golden State.
Ionescu struggled to find her shooting rhythm returning from a neck injury and wound up 1 of 11 for 11 points in her Bay Area homecoming not far from where she grew up in the East Bay suburb of Walnut Creek. She regularly attended Warriors games.
Ionescu was 0 for 5 at halftime missing all four of her 3s. She finally connected on her first field goal, a 3-pointer, with 9 minutes left
Kate Martin hit a tying 3-pointer with 4:12 remaining and put the Valkyries ahead on a 3 at the 1:59 mark before Ionescu’s free throws. Martin’s 3 with 12 seconds to go made it a one-point game but Martin and Kayla Thornton missed two late 3s.
Stewart scored 21 of her points by halftime and Kennedy Burke added 20 points off the bench.
The Associated Press
