PHOENIX — Aja Wilson hit a spinning jumper with 0.3 seconds left to cap a stellar night with 34 points and tie the record. Las Vegas Ace over Phoenix Mercury 90-88 on Wednesday night and a 3-0 lead in the WNBA Finals.
The Aces are one win away from winning their third title in four seasons. Game 4 is Friday in Phoenix.
Las Vegas looked to have a comfortable 76-59 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Mercury cut the deficit to 84-83 with 3:06 left on Kalia Copper's 3-pointer. DeWanna Bonner tied the game at 86, all on a 3-pointer with 1:33 left, and made two free throws with 1:01 left to tie the game at 88.
That set up Wilson's heroics in the final seconds. The four-time MVP managed a turnaround jumper over Alyssa Thomas and Bonner as the Mercury home fans groaned.
“I just needed a bucket to get in,” Wilson said. “I didn’t see who was in front of me. I didn't care. This is the final.”
Phoenix had one last attempt to get a bucket, but Bonner's quick jump was unsuccessful.
The 6-foot-4 Wilson continued her dominant postseason play, making 11 of 20 field goals and adding four assists. She is averaging more than 26 points in 11 postseason games. Jackie Young added 21 points.
Wilson's 291 points in 11 games are a WNBA postseason record.
The Aces went 2-0, winning the first two games in Las Vegas, but the Mercury looked to the support of their raucous home crowd in Game 3. Instead, Las Vegas thrived in a hostile atmosphere, showcasing the poise of a veteran team that had found itself in tough situations many times.
Bonner led the Mercury with 25 points and Sato Sabally had 24. Copper scored 11 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter. Thomas was one assist shy of a triple-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Sabally exited the game with 4:26 left in the fourth quarter when she became tangled with Young and then fell on Kierstan Bell, hitting her head on her leg. Sabally lay on the ground for several minutes before being helped off the court.
Las Vegas used a 17-0 run midway through the first quarter to take a 21-8 lead and never trail again. Jewell Loyd came off the bench and made four 3-pointers in less than two minutes to lead the attack.
Phoenix responded with a 13–0 run of their own to tie the game, but were never able to regain the lead. Entering the second quarter, the Mercury trailed 26-23.
The Aces pulled away late in the second quarter to lead 55-43 at halftime. Las Vegas made 9 of 16 shots (56.3%) from 3-point range, including six shots from the bench by Loyd and Dana Evans.
Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said his team's defense needed improvement after giving up 89 points in Game 1 and 91 in Game 2, but things weren't much better Wednesday. The Aces used their early three-point shot to turn the game into another high-scoring shootout.
