Aces’ miracle finish in regulation leads to overtime win

In the Aces’ 110-98 overtime playoff win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday, in a game in which one memorable play was followed by another, this sequence will be remembered most by Aces fans.

All-Star wing Jackie Young began her sprint toward the basket with less than a second remaining in regulation. As she darted toward the free-throw line from near halfcourt, Young weaved around a screen set by forward A’ja Wilson.

Guard Chelsea Gray inbounded her the ball. Young drove to the basket and leaned into Seattle center Ezi Megaber, who didn’t contend the shot to prevent a foul.

Her layup bounced softly off the backboard and settled into the net. The buzzer sounded. Overtime.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been involved in something like that,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said.

Young’s last-second layup punctuated a frantic fourth quarter between the No. 1-seeded Aces and the No. 4 Storm in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals in front of 15,431 fans at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle Sunday. It also set the stage for the Aces to blow Seattle away 18-6 in overtime to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

The Aces are just one win away from a trip to the WNBA Finals.

Wilson scored 34 points and had 11 rebounds while playing the entire 45 minutes of regulation and overtime. Gray added 29 points and 12 assists. She scored or assisted 59 of the Aces’ points Sunday. Both Wilson and Gray also broke their playoff single-game scoring records.

“These are the times that we play for,” Wilson said.

The Storm were led by 20 points from 2018 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, who scored six in the fourth quarter. Bird had 17, including a 3 in the final two seconds which gave Seattle its two-point lead. Center Tina Charles had 16 points, but missed two crucial free throws down the stretch.

“That was just really, really high-level basketball,” Hammon said, “on both sides.”

The Aces and Storm will return for Game 4, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

1. Gray runs the show

Since the All-Star break, Gray has been the Aces’ most consistent player and the team’s offensive hub. Entering Sunday, the eighth-year point guard was shooting 66.7 percent from the field during the postseason, on pace to break the league’s playoff record.

Gray’s dominance continued Sunday, seemingly unable to miss. Her 29 points came on 57.1 percent shooting. She went 5 of 9 from 3 to finish a game-best plus-19 in 39 minutes. Her eight points also led all overtime scorers.

“This girl’s been hitting big shots for her entire career,” Hammon said.

2. Aces’ hot start

The Aces played their best first quarter of the series Sunday. After falling behind early in the first two games, Hammon’s squad came out firing in Game 3.

Wilson was the tone setter. Coming off a 33-point performance in Game 2, she was unstoppable on offense. She scored 11 points on 4 of 7 shooting in the first quarter and the Aces were up to 20 points by halftime. They led by 15 points early in the second quarter.

“We were locked in,” Wilson said.

3. Fourth-quarter chaos

The Aces’ strong start didn’t last the whole game though. The Storm took its first lead of the game late in the third quarter.

Seattle led 89-85 with 11 seconds remaining, but Aces reserve guard Riquna Williams — who had 14 crucial points — sprung free on the inbound play to hit a clutch 3.

“Tried to stay locked in on the defensive end and let my offense come to me,” Williams said.

After Williams’ shot, Charles, who shot a career-best 82.7 percent from the free-throw line in 2022, missed both attempts after the Aces fouled, and Wilson spun through her defenders for a go-ahead layup with 2.9 seconds remaining. The Storm then found Bird alone in the corner for a 3 with 1.9 seconds, but Young’s layup sent the game to overtime.

“That’s what playoff basketball is all about,” Gray said.

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