‘Proud we kept battling’: Aces rally to earn 4th straight victory

It felt like the postseason when the Aces beat the Sun 72-67 on Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, for their fourth straight victory.

The comeback win came after the Aces scored 26 points in the first half, their fewest in a half since July 2017.

Kelsey Plum led the Aces (22-12) with 27 points, and Chelsea Gray made a 3-pointer to give the Aces a four-point lead with 17.8 seconds left after they trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half.

“It didn’t start great at all,” Plum said. “But this year, we really haven’t had a ton of things go our way, so it’s kind of cool to see it fall the way it did, especially late (in the) game. It’s really hard. … People don’t really understand how hard it is. So I’m just proud we kept battling.”

It’s the Aces’ first four-game winning streak since July 7-14.

The Sun (24-10) have lost two straight to drop to third in the WNBA standings. Brionna Jones led Connecticut with 17 points.

The Aces next face the league-leading Liberty (28-6) at 1 p.m. Sunday in New York.

Here are three takeaways from the victory:

1. History in the arena

There were a few mentions of the past Friday night. A’ja Wilson, who recorded 20 points and eight rebounds, is now 11 points away from breaking the record for a single season. Jewell Loyd set the all-time mark of 939 last season.

Wilson had to limp to the free-throw line after snagging a defensive rebound in the final five seconds of the game. She appeared to grab her lower leg as a result of colliding with Jones. Before that, Wilson had a clutch shot of her own, connecting on a stepback jumper on the play before Gray’s dagger.

It was a 2022 Finals rematch, which ended with Gray being crowned series MVP in Connecticut. The matchup also represented a meeting between the most recent Coach of the Year winners. The Sun’s Stephanie White claimed the honor last season after the Aces’ Becky Hammon won it in 2022.

2. Plum shows up

Plum was the only bright spot in the first half for the Aces, as she was the only one to score in double figures in the period. In the second quarter, the Aces had only nine points, and Plum had seven of them.

The Aces struggled from the floor early, shooting 26.5 percent in the first half while the Sun made 48 percent of their shots.

Hammon said she couldn’t repeat what she said to the team during halftime, but the Aces were able to turn it around in the third quarter, outsourcing the Sun 23-14.

Hammon rested Plum in the Aces’ win over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday, which Plum expressed gratitude for after the game. She emphasized the toll the Olympics took on her, adding the Team USA coach Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx was “tough” on her.

3. Young to ‘bounce back’

Guard Jackie Young was rested in the Aces’ win over the Atlanta Dream last week but only played two minutes in the fourth quarter Friday. Hammon turned instead to Tiffany Hayes, Alysha Clark and Sydney Colson.

Colson was the only reserve player to score in that period, with two points and a defensive rebound in nearly seven minutes. Hammon applauded Colson’s ability to shift the Aces’ defensive energy, adding that Young just “didn’t have it” on Friday.

That said, Hammon expects Young to “bounce back” on Sunday against the Liberty.

“I thought (Colson’s) minutes really, actually impacted the game in a big time way. And so I was really pleased with her minutes,” Hammon said. “And then it was just about just flow and matchups. Jackie’s probably going to score 35 the next game. It just happens like that… But make no bones about it, we’re not going anywhere without Jackie Young production on most nights.”

Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.