Aces swarm Sun behind Wilson, Carter and a 98-69 road win

Parker-Tyus finished with 10 points, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 18 minutes. Jewell Loyd also gave Las Vegas an important lift, scoring 11 points and making three 3-pointers.

That mattered because the Aces did not shoot well from deep early. They were only 1-for-7 from three at halftime and 1-for-8 through three quarters, yet still led by 25.

Las Vegas eventually found enough late shooting, but the real separation came from pressure, defense and bench production.

Sun stuck at the line

Connecticut stayed within range early because of free throws, not clean offense.

The Sun had 37 points at halftime, but 14 came at the line. They shot only 31% from the field and 1-for-7 from three in the first half, which made the 11-point margin feel closer than the actual game flow.

That trend never really changed. Connecticut finished 23-for-70 from the field, shot 33% overall and went 3-for-13 from three. The Sun made 20 of 24 free throws, but they could not build enough offense from live play.

Aneesah Morrow kept Connecticut alive early with 15 points and nine rebounds at halftime. She finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, but Las Vegas contained the rest of the Sun offense well enough to keep the game from tightening.

Third quarter answers

The third quarter was the separator.

Chelsea Gray opened the second half with a fadeaway jumper, then Wilson scored in transition off a Jackie Young assist. Stephanie Talbot followed with a running layup, and Las Vegas quickly pushed the lead to 54-39.

Connecticut never recovered.

Wilson scored throughout the quarter, including a driving layup, two free throws, a 6-foot layup, another running layup and a turnaround jumper. Young kept feeding the offense, Gray added playmaking, and Carter closed the quarter with a running layup at the horn.

By then, the Aces led 78-53 and had removed any real drama.

Road response continues

This was the kind of response Las Vegas needed after getting handled by Phoenix in the opener.

The Aces beat the Sparks 105-78 on Sunday, then followed it with another decisive road win. They did it with defense, rebounding, bench production and a cleaner offensive identity built around pressure at the rim.

Las Vegas shot 54% from the field, outrebounded Connecticut 46-29 and held the Sun to 33% shooting. Gray finished with seven points, six rebounds and six assists, while Young added 11 points, six assists and two steals.

The Aces still have things to clean up. Wilson’s foul trouble is one item. The early 3-point shooting is another. But Las Vegas has now stacked two road wins after a rough start, and Wednesday’s game showed it can control a matchup in more than one way.

On Sunday, Young steadied the Aces and Carter punched off the bench.

On Wednesday, Carter punched again, Parker-Tyus bought time and Wilson made sure the game tilted for good.

Up next

The Aces stay in Uncasville for a quick rematch against the Connecticut Sun on Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT. The game continues a demanding early-season road stretch that sends Las Vegas from Connecticut to Atlanta, back home for one game against Los Angeles, then back on the road for games at Dallas, Golden State and Los Angeles.