Guard Chelsea Gray on Sunday scored 20 points and handed out six assists as the Las Vegas Aces beat the Connecticut Sun 78-71 to capture the Women’s NBA title.
The Aces claimed their first WNBA title in franchise history, beating the Sun 3-1 in the best-of-five title series.
The victory was the first major professional sports championship for a club based in Las Vegas.
Photo: AP
It was also extra sweet, Gray said, after the Aces fell in five games to the Phoenix Mercury in last season’s playoffs.
“We didn’t like that feeling we had last year,” said Gray, who was named the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player. “It was a tough moment, but it built character. It was setting something up for the following year.”
Becky Hammon, who played for the team in San Antonio, became the first head coach in WNBA history to win a title in her first season.
The Aces, led by league Most Valuable Player A’ja Wilson, tied for the league’s best regular-season record at 26-10 and were top seeds in the playoffs.
Wilson chipped in 11 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in Sunday’s decisive game, which the Aces led by as many as 10 points before fending off a string of comeback bid by the Sun.
Aces reserve Riquna Williams added a season-high 17 points, draining a step-back three-pointer over Sun guard Kelsey Plum in the fourth quarter that had Connecticut fans heading for the exits.
“This is amazing,” said Wilson, who was also the league’s Defensive Player of the Year this season. “I say all the time, I wouldn’t be where I am today without my teammates, but winning a championship is something that no one can ever take from you and once you got that down, you are in the books forever. This moment right here, this year right here, is something I’m never going to forget.”
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