JACKIE Young rebounded from a subpar opener with a record-setting third quarter to lead the Las Vegas Aces to a 91-78 victory over the Phoenix Mercury and a 2-0 lead in the WNBA Finals on Sunday (Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, PH time).
Young, coming off a five-game semifinal series against Indiana that left her fatigued in Game 1, scored 21 points in the third period, the most ever in a WNBA Finals quarter. She finished with 32 points, tying her playoff career high and falling one short of the league postseason mark for any quarter.
“I was getting everything I wanted in Game 1, but my shots were short,” Young said. “I tried to adjust but just didn’t have it. Luckily, we have a lot of great players on this team.”
The Aces can move within one win of their third championship in four years when the best-of-five series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Wednesday (Thursday in PH). The Mercury, seeking their fourth title to tie the WNBA record, must win four of the next five games.
Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson scored 28 points, including 20 in the first half, and grabbed 14 rebounds. Had she scored two more points, Las Vegas would have been the first team with two 30-point scorers in a Finals game.
“Take the numbers away, I’m so proud of Jackie,” Wilson said. “When you see someone work so hard and then see it pay off, it’s a beautiful thing.”
Aces coach Becky Hammon praised Young’s aggressiveness. “We had a couple of play calls for her, but it was really her being in attack mode,” Hammon said. “When she hits the 3-ball, she’s tough to defend because she’s fast, big and strong.”
Chelsea Gray contributed 10 points and 10 assists, her fifth career playoff double-double in those categories, moving to fourth all-time. She also had eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
Kahleah Copper led Phoenix with 23 points, Satou Sabally added 22, and Alyssa Thomas had 10 while battling foul trouble. Sabally injured her right ankle in the fourth quarter but said afterward, “I’m fine.”
The Mercury again started fast, opening with the first seven points and scoring 27 in the first quarter. But the Aces held Phoenix to 24 points over the next two periods, taking a 76-51 lead after three quarters and going up by as many as 22 in the fourth.
Hammon improved to 9-0 in Game 2s as Las Vegas coach, with an average winning margin of more than 17 points. / From the wires