Aces ride A’ja Wilson to series-tying win over Storm

Aces coach Becky Hammon has a slight disagreement with Seattle Storm coach Noelle Quinn.

“We think we have the MVP,” Hammon said, “and she played that way.”

Led by MVP front-runner A’ja Wilson, the No. 1-seeded Aces defeated the No. 4 Storm 78-73 on Wednesday night in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals in front of 9,755 fans at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Wilson scored a playoff career-high 33 points and had 13 rebounds, and Chelsea Gray had 19 points and seven assists as the Aces tied the best-of-five series 1-1. Game 3 is at noon Sunday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

Forward Breanna Stewart, Wilson’s competition for the MVP award, scored 32 points for the Storm.

“We dug in and did what we had to do,” Hammon said. “This was pretty much a must win for us.”

Here are three takeaways from the game:

1. First-quarter struggles continue

Unlike Game 1, the Aces started Wednesday’s game looking fine. They shot a decent 33 percent on 3-pointers and forced the ball into the post to Wilson. Seven minutes into the first quarter, the game was tied 16-16.

But a Stephanie Talbot 3-pointer triggered a 10-0 run from Seattle to close the quarter, and the Aces trailed 23-16.

Stewart scored eight and center Tina Charles added six in the quarter. No Aces player had more than five points in the first 10 minutes.

“I thought we still came out a little tight,” Hammon said.

2. Wilson’s second quarter

With 6:47 remaining in the first half, Wilson grabbed an offensive rebound, rose above the Storm defenders surrounding her and made a layup. It was her 10th point, surpassing her Game 1 total.

“We came in wanting to get her more shots, more looks, more involved,” Hammon said.

Wilson asserted herself in the second quarter, getting 10 points, six rebounds and one block. The 2020 MVP helped the Aces outscore the Storm 20-13 in the quarter for a 36-36 halftime tie.

The Aces tried to force the ball into Wilson’s hands at the start of the game, but she scored just four points, mostly on midrange jumpers. In the second quarter, Wilson took the ball to the rim. When she wasn’t scoring, she was going to the free-throw line, where she went 4 of 6 in the quarter.

3. Plum ices the game

Guard Kelsey Plum was quiet for three quarters, as the Aces fed Wilson and Gray. But in the fourth quarter, she found success attacking the rim, scoring nine of her 18 points in the period and made her only 3-pointer.

“In the playoffs, you just need points, any kind of points,” Hammon said.

Plum’s scoring was vital down the stretch as the Aces held off the Storm in the final five minutes. The Aces also went small, substituting starter Kiah Stokes for reserve guard Riquna Williams on offensive possessions, spacing the floor to allow them to get to the rim.

Seattle cut the deficit to two points with 19 seconds remaining, but the Aces made their free throws to secure the win.

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