A'ja Wilson Double Double Lifts Aces Over Fire, 98-83
28 points and 14 rebounds from superstar A'ja Wilson proved the difference, as Portland lost by 15.
Last night’s Portland Fire game - the expansion team’s first contest since the WNBA All Star Game break - did not go according to plan.
After securing the opening tip, the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces struck paydirt early, with point guard Chelsea Gray finding superstar big A’ja Wilson open for a twenty-five footer. A minute later, Gray splashed her own trey.
The shots kept falling, and Las Vegas led 36-21 after one quarter. When the final buzzer sounded, the Aces beat the Fire 98-83.
In 30:10 of game time, Wilson constantly attacked Portland. The 4x MVP scored 28 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. For added measure, she shot 70% from the floor and 13/14 at the free throw line.
In postgame comments, Portland head coach Alex Sarama highlighted the first quarter deficit as the game’s turning point:
“It was really that first quarter. We were right there for three quarters. I mean, for three quarters it was completely even score. We actually won the second half by one. 46-45. Just how we defended the three point line at the beginning, they were seven of eight from three.”
Portland got within six points of tying the game at the 5:58 mark of the 3rd quarter, before Las Vegas pulled away for good. Newlywed center Megan DiLeo led the Fire with 20 points on 11/17 shooting, while rookie German guard Frieda Bühner delivered 16 points on 3/5 shooting and 8 flawless free throws. Last night’s action marked the team’s first game without reliable sixth player Sarah Ashlee Barker, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the first quarter of last week’s loss to the Dallas Wings.
The Fire next play Friday against Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever, with tip-off slated for 7 PM PST from Moda Center.
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Matt Bagley is a professional sportswriter and broadcaster with a passion for women’s sports. Outside of work, he cherishes quality time with his birth family, his chosen family, and one very pesky house panther.
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