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UNCASVILLE, Connecticut: Chelsea Gray scored 20 points in Game 4 on Sunday to lead the Las Vegas Aces to their first WNBA title with a 78-71 road win over the Connecticut Suns.
Gray shot 9-for-13 and was named MVP after averaging 18 points per game. With a two-day offseason, the Aces improved to 4-0 in this year’s playoffs.
Riquna Williams had 17 points, Kelsey Plum had 16 points, Jackie Young had 13 points, and league MVP A’ja Wilson had 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Vegas ended the game 8-0. When the buzzer went off, Wilson grabbed the ball, stomped the floor, and was mobbed by his teammates.
We are champions! We are champions! We are champions! ‘ Wilson yelled at his teammates as they donned championship caps and T-shirts before the awards ceremony.
It’s the Las Vegas team’s first major professional sports title, and Wilson certainly hopes it’s just the beginning.
“Look. Look,” Wilson said during the on-field celebration. “That’s what we’re building. That’s what we’re doing. That’s it. I’m happy right now.”
Courtney Williams led Connecticut with 17 points and Alyssa Thomas had her second straight triple-double with 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Jonquel Jones had 13 points and DeWanna Bonner had 12.
Las Vegas led by two at halftime and four after three quarters.
For Aces coach Becky Hammon, who went without a championship during her stellar WNBA career, the ring completes a decades-long quest. She left Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs as assistant coaches to take over Las Vegas, a move that paid off.
“They’re incredible on the court, but they’re incredibly human above all,” Harmon said. “They care about each other. They invest in each other. It’s an absolute privilege to be their coach. I see excellence and I want to be a part of it.”
Harmon also paid tribute to former ace coach Bill Laimbeer, who was on the court at the ceremony. “He put this team together and saw the debris,” Harmon said.
Aces owner Mark Davis, who also owns the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, was not with his football team on Sunday. He won the trophy in Connecticut. He lifted it up and handed it to the jubilant players who did the same.
“Las Vegas, we’re world champions,” Davis said.
In the fourth quarter, Kelsey Plum led by six when called for a foul after running to Bonner, while the Suns guard was attempting a 3-pointer and sent her to the floor, grabbing hold her right ankle. Bonner made three free throws before Jonquel Jones’ short jumper cut the lead to one. The Suns then tied the game at 67 on a Courtney Williams free throw and led 71-70 on two fouls by Briona Jones.
But Las Vegas has the answer.
A 3 from Riquna Williams put the Aces back at the top, Chelsea Gray’s step-back jumper extended the lead to 75-71 with less than a minute left when A’Ja Wilson stole the pass and Plum made a short jumper to seal the victory.
Bonner started scoring from the left flank. But a Kelsey Plum 3-pointer from the left baseline gave Vegas an early 12-0 run and they were up 16-6. The Aces lost to the Suns by 34 points in the first quarter of Game 3 to take a 16-12 lead after 10 minutes on Sunday.
Gray — who overcame some serious injuries that had the potential to affect her career in the past — became the WNBA Finals MVP, which isn’t surprising after averaging 18.3 points and six assists in the series.
“My teammates are great,” Gray said, tearing down her face. “I put a lot of effort into this.”
She’s not a WNBA All-Star this season, or an All-NBA First Team, and complained about it.
In the end, she had the final say.
“They can keep the All-Star and the first team,” Gray said. “I got the ring.”
crappy game
As expected, it’s a sports game on NFL Sunday. The Suns freaked out when Bonner inadvertently elbowed Gray in the gut late in the first quarter, and he stayed on the floor for a few minutes before being helped to the bench. She returned to the game late at halftime, apparently unscathed. Nadisha Hiedman and Plum had a short putt in the second quarter that resulted in technical fouls by both players. This all happened before Plum’s blatant fourth quarter.
inclusive organization
Before the game, both coaches reflected on the organization in the final. Aces is led by Hammon and two black female executives in general manager Nikki Williams and president of business operations Nikki Fargas. The Sun is owned by the Mohegan tribe, has a female president in Jen Rizzotti, and is coached by gay Curt Miller.
“Women’s basketball is such a story in terms of diversity and inclusion. I mean, our league defines it, and I’m proud to be a part of that,” Miller said, adding that he hopes to be a part of any Inspiration for gay kids, ‘Wondering if they could pursue a sports career’.
Harmon said she believes the diversity of her team’s front office makes it stronger
“You can take better pictures with a box full of crayons instead of a pencil,” she says.
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