A'Ja Wilson stars as Las Vegas Aces close the third quarter on a 13-4 run to take control
Tiffany Hayes leads Golden State with 14 points and nine rebounds in her return from a two-game absence due to a left leg injury
Aces make just 5 of 27 3-point attempts (18.5 per cent) and the Valkyries go 4 of 22 from beyond the arc (18.2 per cent)
A'Ja Wilson's clutch free-throw shooting helped the Las Vegas Aces to a 78-72 road win over the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.
Wilson finished with 27 points and knocked down all 11 of her foul shots as Las Vegas (16-14) swept a home-and-home series with Golden State (14-15) to take a 1 1/2-game lead over the Valkyries for the WNBA's final play-off spot.
The Aces, who rolled to a 101-77 win over Golden State on Sunday, only made one field goal in the final six minutes of the rematch – a Jewell Loyd three-pointer with 3:38 to play. They did make 9 of 14 free throws over that stretch, however, with Wilson converting six of them, including four in the final 34 seconds.
Loyd finished with 14 points and Jackie Young tallied 14 points and five steals for Las Vegas, which closed the third quarter on a 13-4 run to take control.
Neither team shot well from long range, with the Aces making just 5 of 27 3-point attempts (18.5 per cent) and the Valkyries going 4 of 22 from beyond the arc (18.2 per cent).
Tiffany Hayes led Golden State with 14 points and nine rebounds in her return from a two-game absence due to a left leg injury, while Janelle Salaun scored 13.
