Three takeaways from the Aces’ tough 94-86 win over the Sun

LAS VEGAS—The Las Vegas Aces appear to have found their form heading into the final month of the season.

On Sunday, the Aces earned their fourth consecutive victory, defeating the Connecticut Sun 94-86 at Michelob ULTRA Arena. It marks their longest winning streak of the season, as well as giving the Aces their sixth victory in the past seven games.

The recent hot streak has pushed the Aces out to an 18-14 record, with playoffs looking more and more likely. Meanwhile, the Sun continue their descent into the WNBA’s basement by falling to a 5-25 record.

Here are some of the takeaways from a game that could have gone very differently.

Special night for Special Agent Zero

On top of the victory, tonight was a historic night for Aces guard Jackie Young.

With her third assist of the night midway through the second quarter, Young passed Kelsey Plum for the third-most assists in franchise history. She would total six assists for the game. Combined with 21 points and four rebounds, Young made sure her presence was felt all game long.

Locking in late

Down 45-33 with just under three minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Aces needed to come up big in order to keep the Sun from completing their upset big.

They responded by going on a 12-0 run to close out the quarter, tying the game at the end of the first half. From there, the Aces were able to ride the momentum and get significant contributions to push the second half in their favor. A’ja Wilson (game-high 32 points) and Young dominated on offense, and guards Jewell Loyd (12 points) and Dana Evans (10 points) provided critical scoring off of the bench.

Cleaning the glass

The Aces are known for their dominance on the boards, and that was felt against the Sun.

As a team, the Aces overpowered their opponents on rebounds for a 40-23 advantage. This was especially true in terms of offensive rebounds, with the Aces getting the edge in that department 11-three. Wilson lead the charge for the Aces with 20 rebounds, with NaLyssa Smith (six rebounds) and Young also contributing.