With all eyes on the final decisive game in a series against the Las Vegas Aces and the Indiana Fever, it was another fast-paced game from start to finish.
In the first quarter, the Aces kept it close as the Fever struck first scoring the first 2 points of the game. Las Vegas did their best to stay in stride with Indiana.
Both teams exhibited aggressive play in the first quarter that ended in a 23-23 tie between the two teams.
In the second quarter, it was a quick shoot-out. The two teams began the quarter tied 23-23, they would go on to tie 5 more times before the end of the first half.
The Aces started the second half with some steam, taking a 49-45 lead with 9:40 remaining behind an A’ja Wilson jumper.
Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson came alive in the third quarter for Las Vegas. By the close of the third quarter, the Aces lead 71-63 behind an A’ja Wison 6-foot jumper.
Jackie Young moved up for 2nd most three-pointers made in franchise history.
Kelsey Mitchell’s season ended with an ankle injury in the third quarter that took her out of the game to be evaluated by the Fever medical staff.
In the fourth quarter, it became a tight game down to the wire. Every play became crucial to keep a team’s title hopes alive.
As the clock ticked down, neither team could break the 86-86 tie, and the game was sent into overtime.
In the overtime, getting to the foul line and three-point shooting gave the Aces the boost that they needed to close out the series. The Aces went 47.5% from the three-point line in this game.
The Aces make it count where it mattered most and clinched a 107-98 win over Indiana Fever to win the series and take a trip to the WNBA Finals to meet all too familiar Phoenix Mercury on Friday, October 3 for games one and two at home.
Following the hard-fought win, coach Becky Hammon said, “Great, I mean the work they put in and really on the defensive end, just coming together late in the season, putting that run together to put us in this position.”
A’ja Wilson said, “We’re happy to be here because we worked our butts off. This definitely feels different than the ones before.”
The Aces will play game one at the Michelob ULTRA Arena on Friday at 5pm PT.
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