The Las Vegas Aces closed out a hard-fought 94-83 victory over the Indiana Fever in Game 3 Thursday night, advancing to their eighth consecutive WNBA semifinal. The game was played before a 70th consecutive sold-out crowd at the Michelob ULTRA Arena.
A'ja Wilson led all scorers with 36 points and 10 rebounds. Chelsea Gray finished with 23 points and 5 assists, while Jackie Young added 18 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Jewell Loyd contributed 11 points off the bench.
The Aces built their largest lead of the night at 67-55 midway through the third quarter before Indiana mounted a comeback. A three-pointer by Kelsey Mitchell, who led the Fever with 23 points, cut the Aces' lead to 70-68 early in the fourth. However, Las Vegas responded with a 10-2 run to push the advantage to 80-70 with six minutes remaining. During that stretch, the Aces went scoreless from the field and turnover-free, while Indiana went 1 of 5 from the floor.
Indiana refused to go quietly, mounting a 10-2 run of their own to cut the margin to 82-80 with three minutes left. Gray converted two free throws to extend the lead to 84-80, then hit a jumper for 86-80 with 1:25 to play. Mitchell made a two-pointer with 6 seconds left for Indiana's final field goal, but the Aces sealed the win from the free-throw line. Wilson made two free throws with 46.8 seconds remaining, and Las Vegas made its final six points from the stripe.
The Aces shot 45.5 percent from the field and missed their only three-point attempt in the fourth quarter, while holding Indiana to 30 percent from the floor and 3 of 11 from deep. Indiana scored 14 points in the paint compared to just 2 for Las Vegas, but the Aces' perimeter defense proved decisive down the stretch.
The Fever were led by four players in double figures, with Mitchell's 23 points the team high. Las Vegas enters the semifinal round without Dana Evans (right knee) and Steph Talbot (left knee).
The Aces will face the winner of the Golden State Warriors-Dallas Wings series, which is tied 1-1. Golden State and Dallas play Friday night in the Bay Area. The first two games of the Aces' best-of-five semifinal are scheduled for October 4 and 7, with Game 3 on October 9 if necessary. Games 4 and 5, if needed, would be October 11 and 14.