Sports·ROUNDUP

Wilson's double-double helps Aces hold off Sun in rematch of last year's WNBA finals

A'Ja Wilson scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces remained undefeated, holding off hosts Connecticut Sun 90-84 in a rematch of the teams who played in last year's WNBA Finals.

Dana Evans hits 3-pointer late in overtime as Sky beats Fever

A female basketball player holds the ball with both hands as she's under pressure by an opposition player.
A'Ja Wilson posted a 23-point double-double to propel the Las Vegas Aces past the Connecticut Sun 90-84 in WNBA basketball action on Tuesday. (@LVAces/Twitter)

A'Ja Wilson scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces remained undefeated, holding off hosts Connecticut Sun 90-84 in a rematch of the teams who played in last year's WNBA Finals.

Jackie Young added 22 points for Vegas (7-0), which led by as many as 19 points and withstood a furious fourth quarter comeback by Connecticut (6-2). Kelsey Plum had 17 points and Chelsea Gray added 14 points.

Rebecca Allen scored 22 points for the Sun, hitting five of her six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Alyssa Thomas had her seventh double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for the Eastern Conference leaders, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Brionna Jones added 15 points.

The Aces jumped out to an early 11-4 lead, led 25-14 after a quarter and never trailed.

A steal and a layup by Candace Parker pushed the lead to 19 at 46-27. Vegas led 48-31 at the half and 70-53 after three quarters.

It was 74-56 before Allen led the Sun on a 17-2 run in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to just three points.

But a driving layup and free throw from Young pushed the lead back to 84-77 with 1:15 to go and the Aces held on.

The Sun shot just 31% in the first half and made just two of their 14 attempts from 3-point range. They finished 10 of 26 from behind the arc and shooting 41% from the floor.

This was the first meeting of the two teams since the Aces beat the Sun in this arena 78-71 in Game 4 of the Finals last September to win the WNBA title.

The teams have a day off Wednesday before meeting again on the same floor Thursday night.

Sky beats Fever in OT

Marina Mabrey scored 18 of her 28 points in the first half, Dana Evans scored all 19 of her points after halftime and the Chicago Sky beat the Indiana Fever 108-103 in overtime on Tuesday night.

Evans made a wide open 3-pointer with 50.1 seconds left in overtime to extend Chicago's lead to 101-96. Indiana turned it over on its next possession for the 16th time and Evans sank a runner in the lane for a seven-point lead.

Kahleah Copper added 24 points and Alanna Smith scored 18 for Chicago (5-3), which was coming off a stunning 19-point comeback against the New York Liberty on Sunday.

Copper missed Chicago's first free throw in 17 attempts with 2:07 left in regulation, but the Sky secured the offensive rebound. Copper made her next two free throws during a three-point possession to tie it at 85-all.

Rookie Aliyah Boston broke a tie on each of Indiana's final three possessions of regulation — the last for a 91-89 lead with 2.7 seconds left. But following a timeout, Smith beat the buzzer with a layup to force overtime.

All five starters for Indiana (1-5) scored in double-figures as well as Kristy Wallace's 16 points off the bench. Boston finished with a season-high 25 points to go with 11 rebounds and Erica Wheeler had 12 points and 12 assists.

Storm overcomes 21-point deficit to beats Sparks

Jewell Loyd had 25 points and eight rebounds and the Seattle Storm rallied from a 21-point first-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Sparks 66-63 on Tuesday night.

Seattle (1-4) avenged a 92-85 loss to the Sparks on Saturday with the second-largest comeback victory in franchise history.

Nia Nurse of Hamilton, Ont., had no baskets, rebounds or assists in her 15 minutes of play.

Loyd was scoreless after the first quarter when Seattle trailed 24-6, but she totaled 24 points over the next two frames to help build a 52-48 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles forward Nneka Ogwumike blocked a shot with 20 seconds left in the fourth and she headed the other way for a reverse layup, but it was blocked by Ezi Magbegor. Seattle secured the defensive rebound and the Sparks elected not to foul as time ran out.

Rookie Jordan Horston scored a season-high 14 points and Magbegor had 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for Seattle. Loyd became the third player in Storm history to reach 4,000 career points.

Seattle only had four points through the opening nine minutes of the game but scored 29 in the second quarter to get within 38-35 at the break. The Storm made just five of their first 25 field goals.

Ogwumike scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Los Angeles (3-3). Lexie Brown added 15 points and Jordin Canada, a two-time WNBA champion with Seattle, scored 11.

With files from CBC Sports

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