Wilson scores playoff career-high 33 points to help Aces even series with Storm
Parker shines as Sky defeat Sun to tie series
A'ja Wilson scored a playoff-career high 33 points and collected 12 rebounds to help the Las Vegas Aces beat the Seattle Storm 78-73 in Game 2 of the semifinals Wednesday night and even the WNBA playoff series.
Chelsea Gray finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists for the Aces, while Kelsey Plum added 18 points.
Wilson rebounded from a disappointing Game 1 loss when she didn't reach double-figures in scoring by taking over in the second half of Game 2. With the game tied heading into the third quarter she scored 13 points in the period to help the Aces take a 60-52 lead.
Seattle battled back behind Breanna Stewart, who led the Storm with 32 points and seven rebounds. The Storm got within 75-73 on Sue Bird's runner in the lane that she banked in with 19.9 seconds left.
Wilson hit two free throws 2 seconds later and Seattle didn't threaten after that.
The Aces came out of the chute an entirely different team than the one that looked stagnant in the first quarter of Game 1, taking a 14-11 lead midway through. But after making seven of 13 to start the game, the Aces missed their last five shots in the quarter. The Storm, however, used a 10-0 run to close the period and took a 23-16 lead into the second.
The second quarter quickly turned into a battle of MVP candidates, as Stewart scored Seattle's first six points of the second quarter, while Wilson scored eight of Las Vegas' first 13. The Aces used an 11-2 run to tie the game at 31. The teams went into halftime knotted at 36.
Parker leads Sky past Sun
Candace Parker scored 22 points and the Chicago Sky evened the semifinal series with an 85-77 win over the Connecticut Sun in Game 2 earlier on Wednesday night.
Chicago coach James Wade said pregame that Chicago was "going to make shots" Wednesday after a lackluster 35.3. All five starters scored in double figures for Chicago.
Game 3 is in Connecticut on Sunday.
Jonquel Jones scored a team-high 23 points for the Sun on 10 of 17 shooting, adding seven rebounds and two blocks.
The Sun never led after Jones hit a three on the first possession of the game.
Caught up with <a href="https://twitter.com/Candace_Parker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Candace_Parker</a> after her big semifinals performance 💪<br><br>She shares what the difference was in Game 2 & what the mindset is heading to Connecticut 👏 <a href="https://t.co/EmLr9Axzmb">pic.twitter.com/EmLr9Axzmb</a>
—@WNBAForward Emma Meesseman found her rhythm with back-to-back baskets in the opening minutes after a four of 11 shooting performance in Game 1. The six-foot-four forward finished with 14 points on an efficient six of eight shooting clip to go along with seven rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals.
Jones and Odyssey Sims keyed a 6-0 Connecticut run early in the second quarter, but Chicago responded and pushed the lead to 10 on Courtney Vandersloot's layup. The Sky carried a 47-32 lead into the half after hitting 19 of 31 shots.
DeWanna Bonner went zero for six from the field and finished with two points after leading the Sun with 15 points in Game 1.
Parker capped her scoring contributions with a turnaround jumper near the baseline and a three at the 6:17 mark which gave Chicago a 76-56 cushion.
Parker hit three shots while drawing fouls in the first half, including a three, but missed the and-one free throw on each occasion.
Vandersloot scored 10 points and tallied a game-high eight assists and Allie Quigley went three of six from long range to finish with 13 points.
