Aces All-Star duo leads the way in win against Fever

Aces All-Star A’ja Wilson was frustrated. Coming off the high of winning the 2022 Commissioner’s Cup, the Aces’ sloppy play had allowed the Indiana Fever to cut the lead to one point just three minutes into the second quarter of Friday’s game.

“I don’t know what was going through our mind,” Wilson said. “It was a slow start, and we can’t have that against anyone.”

So Wilson took matters into her own hands. She charged down the lane at Fever rookie forward Emily Engstler and drew a foul. Wilson released a roar of intent as the referee blew the whistle.

The 2020 WNBA MVP scored the next eight points for the Aces, who beat the Fever 93-72 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Wilson and fellow All-Star Kelsey Plum scored 22 points each, while Indiana native Jackie Young added 15 points. Fever rookie center Queen Egbo had 13 points to lead Indiana.

“At the end of the day, I’m going to try my best to produce for my teammates and bring that energy,” Wilson said.

Coach Becky Hammon’s team is 6-1 in WNBA play since returning from the All-Star break. The Commissioner’s Cup Final victory against the Chicago Sky July 26 does not count toward the team’s overall record.

“I’m just pleased with the effort,” Hammon said.

The Aces (21-8) will stay in Indianapolis to play the Fever for a second consecutive game at noon Sunday, again at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

1. Turnovers slow Aces start

The Aces’ early malaise wasn’t due to poor shooting. They hit 62.5 percent of their field goals and missed just six shots during the first quarter.

However, Hammon’s team didn’t take care of the ball. Despite entering Friday’s game with 12.11 turnovers per game, the lowest in the league, the Aces had 11 giveaways by halftime — five in the first quarter and six in the second. The Fever (5-26) scored 16 points off turnovers in the first half.

“We’ve got to be locked in from start to finish,” Plum said.

The Aces cleaned things up in the second half and didn’t have a single turnover in the third quarter.

2. Wilson and Plum lead the way

The Aces needed some fire to ignite their offense, and their All-Star duo provided it. After Wilson outscored the Fever 8-2 by herself, Plum rattled off five quick points, extending the Aces lead to nine points in two minutes, 15 seconds.

“They’re the tone-setters for the whole team,” Hammon said.

Wilson scored 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting. She also added six rebounds, three assists, three steals and finished a game-best plus-24 in 23 minutes.

Plum was even more efficient, scoring 22 on 72.7-percent shooting from the floor. The former Washington guard also went 3 of 4 from 3-point range in 27 minutes. Both players sat the entire fourth quarter.

3. Offensive rebounding

Hammon has emphasized how her system isn’t built to encourage offensive rebounding. She’d rather have the Aces track back and play transition defense.

The Fever, however, may be the only team in the league smaller than the Aces, who grabbed a season-high 15 offensive rebounds Friday. They scored 13 second-chance points. Reserve center Kiah Stokes had four offensive rebounds and Young added three.

“I was just trying to help A’ja and (Dearica Hamby) on the boards a little bit, just get down there and get some of the loose ones,” Young said.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.