WNBA

WNBA Roundup: A’ja Wilson sets scoring record as Aces beat Fever, Liberty visit Wings tonight

Wilson broke the single-season in last night’s Aces win, plus what’s in store in the WNBA tonight.

Sep 12, 2024, 2:23 PM UTC

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.

Good morning WNBA! The big story of the day is A’ja Wilson, who set a new single-season WNBA scoring record in last night’s Las Vegas Aces win over the Indiana Fever. She scored 27 points, increasing her total for the year to 956, and ultimately breaking Jewell Loyd’s record from last season.

It comes as the latest accolade in a long list for the two-time MVP. After the win, Wilson expressed relief about getting the record out of the way, while also sharing gratitude for her teammates.

“It feels great because now people will stop talking about it,” she said. “Felt like it was just like lingering, lingering, lingering, so I’m glad that we got it done.”

Aces’ guard Alysha Clark praised Wilson for what she’s accomplished this season, tearing up with emotion in the postgame presser.

“One day she’s not going to be here. She’s going to retire and go on and live her life, and people are going to marvel at what she’s done. And I’m like, marvel at it now,” Clark said. “It’s impressive as hell.”

Now, Wilson is just 44 points away from becoming the first WNBA player to score 1,000 points in a season. She’ll also break the single-season rebounding record if she grabs 29 more boards this season. The Aces have four games left to play this year, so it’s very likely she’ll reach both of those marks.

Here’s a look at yesterday’s game results:

The Las Vegas Aces beat the Indiana Fever, 86-75: In her return from a one-game absence, Wilson posted 27 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. Alysha Clark added 14 off the bench, while Tiffany Hayes scored 12. For the Fever, Caitlin Clark had an off night, scoring 16 points on 6-22 shooting alongside 6 assists and 5 turnovers, while Kelsey Mitchell led the way with 24 points.
The Washington Mystics crushed the Chicago Sky: The Mystics stay alive in the battle for the #8 seed with last night’s 89-58 win, in which they were led by rookie Aaaliyah Edwards (15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Brittney Sykes (14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists). The Sky struggled without Angel Reese, but were led by Chennedy Carter (16 points, 7-13 FG) and Kamilla Cardoso (13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists).
The Seattle Storm edged out the Los Angeles Sparks: Skylar Diggins-Smith continued her hot play in last night’s 90-82 win, recording 26 points (10-13 FG), 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks. Midseason acquisition Gabby Williams added 17 points, Nneka Ogwumike chipped in with 16, and Ezi Magbegor added 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 assists. For the losers, Rickea Jackson led the way with 22 points, while Azura Stevens added 18 points and 15 rebounds.

Tonight: the New York Liberty visit the Dallas Wings at 8pm ET

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

There’s only one game on the books for Thursday, and it’s the league’s top team squared up against the second-worst one. The Liberty have one four straight games and have all but locked up the #1 seed, while Dallas has already been eliminated from playoff contention. Sabrina Ionescu has struggled offensively since suffering a neck injury a few weeks ago, while Breanna Stewart has found her rhythm — she’s averaging 22.9 points on 46.8% shooting, including 44.2% from three, since the break.

The Wing’s Arike Ogunbowale has also been a lot better — she’s averaged 23.5 points on 44.7% from the field since the Olympics — but it hasn’t made much of a difference as Dallas continues to struggle. Natasha Howard has also been a top ten scorer since the Olympics, averaging 19.2 points on 46.5% shooting.

The game will be broadcast on Prime Video.

Updated WNBA Standings

The #8 seed remains up for grabs with the Sky’s loss to the Mystics last night. The Sky, Dream, and Mystics all currently sit within a game of one another in the standings.