FSM Essential Recap: Aces vs Sun – Game 2 – 9/22/2020

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#1 Las Vegas Aces (18-4)  |  #7 Connecticut Sun (10-12)

 

The Aces even up the series with a hard-fought game 2 win vs the Connecticut Sun.

 

The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun 83 to 75 in game 2 of the WNBA Semifinals.  If the Aces had lost this game they would have left 0-2 in the series.  The Aces fought hard to get this victory. In the history of the WNBA, no team has come back from a 0-2 deficit in a five-game series.

The star of the game, A’ja Wilson, said after game one that they needed to play better defensively, and she led her team in doing just that. The Aces forced 17 turnovers in the game, including 6 in the 4th quarter.

 

 

The Aces gave a huge 4th quarter performance to pick up the win.

 

The MVP led the Aces as she had a monster first-half scoring 17 points with four blocks. Wilson was dominating the game for the Aces and brought the type of energy needed to win playoff games. She was loud and brought emotion that got her whole team fired up and into the game. Wilson finished with a game-leading 29 points, seven rebounds, and seven blocks, tying her career-high.

 

After scoring a career-high 31 points in game 1, Jasmine Thomas had a very quiet night, especially in the first half.  She finished with 2 points and only shot the ball three times. Perhaps more concerning for the Sun is that forward Alyssa Thomas left the game after 5 minutes with an apparent shoulder injury and did not return. Briann January was the star for the Sun in the first half, scoring 13 points shooting 100% from the field.

Connecticut went on a 12-3 run in the 3rd quarter led by DeWanna Bonner, who hit three three-pointers in 4 possessions for the Sun. She finished the game with 23 points. The Aces kept the game close going into the 4th quarter by getting to the free-throw line.  They attempted ten free throws in the 3rd quarter, making 9; compared to Connecticut’s two attempts. The Aces were on the free throw line all night; shooting 28 times while the Sun shot seven times from the line.

The game was tied at 75 with a minute to go, A’ja Wilson drove to the lane putting in the layup while picking up the foul; giving Las Vegas a 3 point lead. The Aces then caused another Connecticut turnover, followed by Wilson driving down the court for another layup. The WNBA MVP took over for the Aces, finished off game 2 with Las Vegas holding on to an 83-75 win, outscoring the Sun 24-12 in the 4th.

 

It is a brand new series and the Aces can build off the momentum.

 

 

Another key to the victory in game 2 for the Aces was the depth in scoring. The Aces had four players in double-digit scoring. On top of Wilson’s 29 points, Kayla McBride, Angel McCoughtry, and Dearica Hamby, all finished with 11 points. Jackie Young also followed up her 17 point performance in game 1 with 8 points off the bench.

Las Vegas knows what they will get from Wilson night in and night out; however, for continued success in game three and the rest of the series, they will need production from multiple players.

Connecticut forward Thomas was seen late in the game with an arm sling, and her status is unknown for game three and the remainder of the series.

 

 

 

WNBA Semi-finals series schedule (All times PT)

 

• Game 1 – Aces 62 – Sun 87

• Game 2 – Aces 83 – Sun 75

• Game 3 – Thursday, September 24th, 4:30 p.m. – ESPN2

• Game 4* – Sunday, September 27th, TBD – TBD

• Game 5*- Tuesday, September 29th, TBD – ESPN2

* If required

 

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-Jarret Thompson – Franchise Sports Media 

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