A’ja Wilson’s 39 points leads Aces to OT win over Indiana
Just to get to overtime, the Aces needed a career performance from A’ja Wilson.
And in the OT, the Aces needed Liz Cambage to shake off a benching and take over.
The combination of Wilson’s 39 points overall and Cambage’s 12 points in overtime lifted Las Vegas to a 102-97 victory Saturday over the Indiana Fever before an announced crowd of 4,581 at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Wilson’s point total not only beat her previous career high of 35 points from last season, also against Indiana, it tied the franchise record, set by Danielle Adams in 2013 when the team was in San Antonio. It’s also the top mark in the WNBA this season.
Cambage’s overtime total tied the WNBA record, shared by four others.
Wilson made 14 of 20 shots, and produced a line that included 11 rebounds and five assists.
“I kind of get into this zone, this place where I can’t feel anything,” Wilson said. “I just know that I have to score the basketball. I have to produce for my team. It’s a lot of fun when you pull out a win against a team that. … This is the best I’ve ever seen the Indiana Fever. They were knocking down shots at crucial moments, so for us to come out on top with a win is a big deal for us.”
Most of Wilson’s work occurred in regulation in which she scored 34 points. Cambage was quiet over the first 40 minutes before teammate Kelsey Plum told her the team needed her to pull out the victory.
Cambage then opened overtime with two quick baskets for the Aces (7-5), and the Fever (5-9) didn’t have any answers for her after. She finishing with 16 points and seven rebounds after a quiet regulation, in which she was benched in the fourth quarter.
“I started the game aggressively, and I wasn’t being rewarded,” Cambage said. “And then it got in my head a bit, and I sat out the fourth and really hoped to come out in overtime to get it done.”
Cambage made all five shots she took in overtime after going 1-for-9 in regulation.
“When Liz is fully engaged like she was in the overtime, she’s really good,” Aces coach Bill Laimbeer said. “She got distracted by the foul trouble. She never really got into the game. You saw what she can do in that overtime period.”
Kayla McBride added 14 points for the Aces, and Dearica Hamby scored 12. Jackie Young, who injured her hip late in regulation but returned to play in overtime, had 10 assists and no turnovers.
Indiana pushed the Aces throughout, and led by Kelsey Mitchell’s 21 points and Candice Dupree’s 20, the Fever had an answer for just about every Las Vegas surge. They made 13 of 24 3-pointers, nearly enough to beat an Aces team that shot just 2 of 12 from beyond the arc.
“I thought we played a decent basketball game,” Laimbeer said. “I thought Indiana played phenomenal. They had nothing to lose. They came in and raised up from all over the courts and made shots.
“At a different time, at a different place, whether it was last year or early in the season, we probably would’ve folded our tent and gone home a loser.”
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Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.
