Las Vegas Aces win first-ever WNBA championship originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Las Vegas Aces are bringing their first-ever WNBA championship back to Las Vegas.
The Aces took down the Connecticut Sun 78-71 in front of a sellout crowd of 9,652 at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday night to grab the final series 3-1.
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The first half included a total of 17 turnovers and poor shooting from each squad with the Aces hitting on just 33% of their shots and the Suns with 35%.
After the first half, the Aces led 30-28, marking a season-low of first-half points for the top-seeded team. The previous low for the team was 34, which came in Game 1 of the series after mustering just nine second-quarter points.
In the second half, the Sun rallied to keep themselves in the game, gaining a 39-37 lead in the third quarter and a 69-68 lead with a little over two minutes left in the game, but it wasn’t enough for the physical Aces.
“Man, this is amazing honestly,” forward A’ja Wilson said after the win. “Our team fought through…we were resilient.”
Wilson finished the performance with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Guard Chelsea Gray stole the show, posting an impressive 20 points, five rebounds and six assists and took home the WNBA Finals MVP award.
"When you got a point guard like Chelsea Gray, I ain't even worried about a damn thing!" Wilson said.
The win also capped off a historic debut season for head coach Becky Hammon, who helped lead the Aces to the title in her first ever head coaching gig after leaving her role as an assistant coach with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.
