Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Dana Evans makes history as she Shines Bright in the Aces 89-86 win

Originally posted on Dice City Sports
By Dominique Campbell | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 11:35 PM ET

The First Half Rust

Game one of the 2025 WNBA Finals got off to a fast start with Phoenix getting out to an early 10-2 lead.

The Aces got off to a slow start. It’s almost as if they were trying to knock the rust off. To close out the first quarter, the Aces finally battled back to tie with the Mercury 21-21.

To start the second quarter, it looked like shootout between the two teams. Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas took advantage of the Aces lack of transition defense. The Mercury held a 50-45 lead over the Aces to go into halftime.

Phoenix clearly outshot the Aces in the first half, going 52.9 % from the floor compared to the Aces 47.4%.

Second Half Formation

The Aces began to battle back behind, Jewell Loyd, Chelsea Gray, Dana Evans and NaLyssa Smith. Chelsea Gray went down but was able to get back up and make it to the court to help her team claw back. At the end of the third quarter, the Aces were down 71-67.

Fourth Quarter Push

In the fourth quarter, vans hit a 3 at 3:37 put up Vegas 85-82.

Alyssa Thomas’s missed two free throws not only won the game, but also won the fans a free slice of pizza

Las Vegas Aces fans receive free pizza after a missed Alyssa Thomas free-throw

With 13.5 remaining in the game, Jackie Young caught a hard foul that sent her to the free-throw line to sink two clutch free-throws to secure the Aces 89-86 win.

Video Credit: Paul DelosSantos of Dice City Sports

Dana Evans came off the bench shining, scoring 21 points in 26 minutes of play. Evans became the first player in WNBA Finals history to make five threes. record four steals, and two rebounds in a game.

Following the win, Aces coach Becky Hammon said, “Dana is a little scorer. She’s a problem. We responded well in the second half.”

“Dana scored higher than I’ve ever seen anybody score. It was a shooting drill. Dana really took fire in the second half.”

Dana Evans said, “I’m just in a zone, I just want to win really bad. Whatever my teammates need from me, I will do.”

The Las Vegas Aces hold out to take game one of the WNBA Finals, 89-86.

Game two will be played on Sunday, October 5 at the Michelob. ULTRA Arena at noon PT.

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: