Jackie Young’s 19-point first quarter launches Aces past Storm 114-77 in Seattle

Young made the opening quarter feel longer than 10 minutes

Seattle briefly suggested it might settle in after falling behind 6-0. Zia Cooke’s driving layup and Natisha Hiedeman’s layup plus free throw trimmed the score to 6-5 with 7:14 left in the first. That was the last moment when the margin looked negotiable. Young answered with three free throws, attacked the paint, hit from mid-range, and then stretched the floor twice more from deep. By the end of the quarter she had 19 points by herself, and Las Vegas had a 25-13 lead that already felt heavy.

That opening burst framed the entire night. The Storm never held a lead, and the Aces finished with a largest advantage of 37. The reason was not just one hot hand, though Young’s hand certainly qualified. Las Vegas kept scoring in both places that bend a defense hardest: at the rim and beyond the arc. The Aces finished with 44 points in the paint and 13 made threes, while Seattle spent the rest of the night chasing a game it never got back to even footing. When you start with 13 points in a quarter against an offense this efficient, the math gets cruel in a hurry.

Wilson and the connectors kept Seattle from changing the script

If Young lit the match, A'ja Wilson spent the second quarter making sure Seattle could not stamp it out. Wilson kept marching to the line, scoring on free throws at 7:24 and 6:50, converting a three-point play at 5:35, then adding a layup and an 18-foot jumper before the quarter was over. Around her, the Aces’ support work was sharp and unsentimental. Chelsea Gray drilled a three at 6:21, and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus scored three times inside in the final 3:24 of the half. Las Vegas reached halftime ahead 52-34, and the ball movement had as much to do with that as the scoring totals did: 29 assists on 40 made baskets is the kind of number that tells its own story.

To Seattle’s credit, the third quarter had more life. Flau'jae Johnson kept attacking, Hiedeman added a three and a layup, and Stefanie Dolson spaced the floor with another triple. The Storm scored 29 in the period, their best quarter of the night. But every flicker met an answer. Talbot opened the half with a jumper, Wilson scored again inside, Young got to her pull-up game, Talbot hit a step-back three, and Young answered another Seattle push with a three of her own at 5:45. Jewell Loyd’s three at 1:57 and Wilson’s three-point play at 1:20 pushed the lead to 85-63 by the end of the third. Seattle had found points, but not stops.

Our take: the score was huge, but the style mattered just as much

Our take: 114 points can look like a simple hot-shooting night, but Las Vegas gave a cleaner explanation than that. The Aces shot 58.0 percent overall, 46.4 percent from three and 87.5 percent at the line, yet the more persuasive stat was the 29 assists. Young’s 35 and Wilson’s 29 were the headliners, but the shape of the game came from how connected the offense was. Gray finished with six assists and nine rebounds despite scoring only five points. Talbot added five assists. Wilson had five of her own without a turnover. Kalani Brown and Dana Evans chipped in 10 points apiece off the bench. It was star power, yes, but it was organized star power.

Our take on Seattle is less about one player struggling than about too few solutions arriving together. Johnson scored 25, Hiedeman had 12 points and seven assists, Dolson added 11, and Dominique Malonga finished with 10 and six rebounds. Jaylyn Sherrod’s five steals were a real disruptive contribution. But the Storm shot 38.0 percent, went 8-for-27 from deep, and were out-rebounded 38-28. They also gave up 52 first-half points and managed only 13 in the opening quarter. A reasonable place to look for improvement is there: a sturdier start, more collective finishing around Johnson, and a better night on the glass. Those are not abstract wishes; they were the pressure points on the scoreboard all evening.

Even in a rout, Las Vegas did not produce a perfectly spotless box score. The Aces finished with 14 total turnovers, the same as Seattle, and their least convincing stretch came in a third quarter when the Storm scored 29. If there is an honest nitpick in a 37-point win, it is that the game briefly loosened before Las Vegas tightened it again in the fourth behind Brown’s quick seven points, Wilson’s late three and layup, and closing threes from Evans and Loyd. Still, this result read less like a random blowout than a clear demonstration of separation. Seattle had a few bright individual lines. Las Vegas had the better opener, the steadier middle, and the deeper finish.

Scoring moments

1. 1st Quarter · 8:40

   Stephanie Talbot makes 23-foot three point jumper (A'ja Wilson assists)

2. 1st Quarter · 8:00

   Jackie Young makes 24-foot three pointer

3. 1st Quarter · 7:33

   Zia Cooke makes driving layup

4. 1st Quarter · 7:14

   Natisha Hiedeman makes driving layup

5. 1st Quarter · 7:14

   Natisha Hiedeman makes free throw 1 of 1

6. 1st Quarter · 7:07

   Jackie Young makes free throw 1 of 3

7. 1st Quarter · 7:07

   Jackie Young makes free throw 2 of 3

8. 1st Quarter · 7:07

   Jackie Young makes free throw 3 of 3

9. 1st Quarter · 6:11

   Jackie Young makes driving layup

10. 1st Quarter · 5:59

    Flau'jae Johnson makes 6-foot turnaround jump shot (Stefanie Dolson assists)

11. 1st Quarter · 4:32

    Taylor Thierry makes free throw 1 of 2

12. 1st Quarter · 4:32

    Taylor Thierry makes free throw 2 of 2

13. 1st Quarter · 4:21

    Jackie Young makes 11-foot driving floating jump shot (A'ja Wilson assists)

14. 1st Quarter · 3:55

    Jackie Young makes 13-foot pullup jump shot

15. 1st Quarter · 3:29

    Natisha Hiedeman makes free throw 1 of 2

16. 1st Quarter · 3:29

    Natisha Hiedeman makes free throw 2 of 2

17. 1st Quarter · 3:10

    Jackie Young makes 24-foot three pointer (Jewell Loyd assists)

18. 1st Quarter · 2:53

    Mackenzie Holmes makes driving layup (Natisha Hiedeman assists)

19. 1st Quarter · 2:29

    Jackie Young makes 4-foot two point shot (Cheyenne Parker-Tyus assists)

20. 1st Quarter · 1:21

    Jackie Young makes 18-foot pullup jump shot

21. 1st Quarter · 2.1

    Jackie Young makes 25-foot three pointer

22. 2nd Quarter · 9:36

    Dominique Malonga makes running layup (Zia Cooke assists)

23. 2nd Quarter · 8:45

    Dana Evans makes free throw 2 of 2

24. 2nd Quarter · 8:31

    Dominique Malonga makes 6-foot hook shot (Zia Cooke assists)

25. 2nd Quarter · 8:10

    Chelsea Gray makes 14-foot fade away jump shot

26. 2nd Quarter · 7:33

    Stefanie Dolson makes 26-foot running jump shot (Jaylyn Sherrod assists)

27. 2nd Quarter · 7:24

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2

28. 2nd Quarter · 7:24

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2

29. 2nd Quarter · 6:50

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2

30. 2nd Quarter · 6:50

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2

31. 2nd Quarter · 6:36

    Awa Fam makes 7-foot turnaround jump shot

32. 2nd Quarter · 6:21

    Chelsea Gray makes 25-foot three point jumper (Stephanie Talbot assists)

33. 2nd Quarter · 5:35

    A'ja Wilson makes two point shot

34. 2nd Quarter · 5:35

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 1

35. 2nd Quarter · 5:00

    Dominique Malonga makes driving layup (Awa Fam assists)

36. 2nd Quarter · 4:43

    A'ja Wilson makes layup (Stephanie Talbot assists)

37. 2nd Quarter · 4:32

    Natisha Hiedeman makes driving layup

38. 2nd Quarter · 4:14

    A'ja Wilson makes 18-foot jumper (Stephanie Talbot assists)

39. 2nd Quarter · 4:00

    Zia Cooke makes free throw 1 of 2

40. 2nd Quarter · 4:00

    Zia Cooke makes free throw 2 of 2

41. 2nd Quarter · 3:54

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2

42. 2nd Quarter · 3:54

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2

43. 2nd Quarter · 3:24

    Cheyenne Parker-Tyus makes driving layup (Chelsea Gray assists)

44. 2nd Quarter · 2:51

    Cheyenne Parker-Tyus makes 3-foot layup (A'ja Wilson assists)

45. 2nd Quarter · 2:26

    Flau'jae Johnson makes 23-foot three point jumper (Natisha Hiedeman assists)

46. 2nd Quarter · 1:40

    Cheyenne Parker-Tyus makes layup (Jackie Young assists)

47. 2nd Quarter · 1:17

    Jackie Young makes free throw 1 of 2

48. 2nd Quarter · 1:17

    Jackie Young makes free throw 2 of 2

49. 2nd Quarter · 43.4

    Taylor Thierry makes 20-foot pullup jump shot (Jaylyn Sherrod assists)

50. 2nd Quarter · 1.7

    Dominique Malonga makes free throw 1 of 2

51. 3rd Quarter · 9:52

    Stephanie Talbot makes 20-foot jumper (Chelsea Gray assists)

52. 3rd Quarter · 9:19

    A'ja Wilson makes running layup (Jackie Young assists)

53. 3rd Quarter · 8:58

    Jackie Young makes running layup (Stephanie Talbot assists)

54. 3rd Quarter · 8:40

    Flau'jae Johnson makes free throw 1 of 2

55. 3rd Quarter · 8:40

    Flau'jae Johnson makes free throw 2 of 2

56. 3rd Quarter · 8:14

    Awa Fam makes 24-foot three point jumper (Dominique Malonga assists)

57. 3rd Quarter · 7:51

    A'ja Wilson makes 9-foot step back jumpshot (Stephanie Talbot assists)

58. 3rd Quarter · 7:24

    Jackie Young makes 11-foot running pullup jump shot (Chelsea Gray assists)

59. 3rd Quarter · 7:05

    Flau'jae Johnson makes 4-foot two point shot

60. 3rd Quarter · 6:53

    Flau'jae Johnson makes 25-foot running jump shot (Natisha Hiedeman assists)

61. 3rd Quarter · 6:31

    Stephanie Talbot makes 24-foot three point step back jumpshot (A'ja Wilson assists)

62. 3rd Quarter · 6:16

    Flau'jae Johnson makes 12-foot pullup jump shot (Natisha Hiedeman assists)

63. 3rd Quarter · 5:45

    Jackie Young makes 24-foot three point jumper (Chelsea Gray assists)

64. 3rd Quarter · 5:11

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 2

65. 3rd Quarter · 5:11

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 2 of 2

66. 3rd Quarter · 4:59

    Flau'jae Johnson makes 16-foot pullup jump shot

67. 3rd Quarter · 4:45

    Cheyenne Parker-Tyus makes free throw 1 of 2

68. 3rd Quarter · 4:26

    Natisha Hiedeman makes 23-foot three point jumper (Flau'jae Johnson assists)

69. 3rd Quarter · 4:01

    Flau'jae Johnson makes free throw 2 of 2

70. 3rd Quarter · 3:25

    Cheyenne Parker-Tyus makes running layup

71. 3rd Quarter · 3:04

    A'ja Wilson makes layup (Jackie Young assists)

72. 3rd Quarter · 2:50

    Stefanie Dolson makes 24-foot three point jumper (Natisha Hiedeman assists)

73. 3rd Quarter · 2:25

    Jackie Young makes two point shot (Dana Evans assists)

74. 3rd Quarter · 2:13

    Natisha Hiedeman makes driving layup

75. 3rd Quarter · 1:57

    Jewell Loyd makes 23-foot three point jumper (A'ja Wilson assists)

76. 3rd Quarter · 1:41

    Flau'jae Johnson makes free throw 2 of 2

77. 3rd Quarter · 1:20

    A'ja Wilson makes 6-foot two point shot

78. 3rd Quarter · 1:20

    A'ja Wilson makes free throw 1 of 1

79. 3rd Quarter · 1:03

    Mackenzie Holmes makes two point shot

80. 3rd Quarter · 36.9

    Stefanie Dolson makes free throw 1 of 2

81. 3rd Quarter · 36.9

    Stefanie Dolson makes free throw 2 of 2

82. 3rd Quarter · 26.5

    Jackie Young makes free throw 1 of 2

83. 3rd Quarter · 26.5

    Jackie Young makes free throw 2 of 2

84. 3rd Quarter · 7.6

    Dominique Malonga makes free throw 1 of 2

85. 4th Quarter · 9:08

    Kalani Brown makes layup (Dana Evans assists)

86. 4th Quarter · 8:32

    Dominique Malonga makes 8-foot two point shot (Natisha Hiedeman assists)

87. 4th Quarter · 8:03

    Kalani Brown makes layup (Mai Yamamoto assists)

88. 4th Quarter · 7:33

    Kalani Brown makes 5-foot jumper (Chelsea Gray assists)

89. 4th Quarter · 7:33

    Kalani Brown makes free throw 1 of 1

90. 4th Quarter · 7:21

    Flau'jae Johnson makes 23-foot three point jumper (Natisha Hiedeman assists)

91. 4th Quarter · 7:01

    Kalani Brown makes layup (Jackie Young assists)

92. 4th Quarter · 6:28

    Flau'jae Johnson makes driving layup

93. 4th Quarter · 6:09

    A'ja Wilson makes 25-foot three point jumper (Chelsea Gray assists)

94. 4th Quarter · 5:41

    A'ja Wilson makes layup (Jackie Young assists)

95. 4th Quarter · 4:44

    Dana Evans makes 25-foot running pullup jump shot

96. 4th Quarter · 4:29

    Stefanie Dolson makes 23-foot three point jumper (Jaylyn Sherrod assists)

97. 4th Quarter · 4:07

    Jewell Loyd makes 23-foot three point jumper (Dana Evans assists)

98. 4th Quarter · 3:05

    Flau'jae Johnson makes running layup (Awa Fam assists)

99. 4th Quarter · 2:27

    Dana Evans makes 23-foot running jump shot (Jewell Loyd assists)

100. 4th Quarter · 1:46

     Jaylyn Sherrod makes running layup

101. 4th Quarter · 1:32

     Dana Evans makes 26-foot three point jumper (Kalani Brown assists)

102. 4th Quarter · 47.7

     Jewell Loyd makes running layup

103. 4th Quarter · 19.9

     Kalani Brown makes free throw 1 of 2