Aces’ protection an excessive amount of for Storm in Game 1

A’ja Wilson scored 21 points, Tiffany Hayes added 20 off the bench and a strong defensive performance in the fourth quarter led the host Las Vegas Aces to a 78-67 win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday night in Game 1 of a best-of-three, first-round playoff series.

Las Vegas held Seattle without a field goal in the fourth quarter, and the Storm didn’t score in the frame until Skylar Diggins-Smith made a pair of free throws with 4:07 to go.

Seattle went 0-for-12 from the floor in the final 10 minutes of action.

The Aces, struggling to generate offense against Seattle’s own stifling defense, were only up by five when Diggins-Smith went to the foul line. They didn’t score in the fourth until Kelsey Plum made a layup with 7:08 left, Plum’s only points of the night.

Following the late free throws from Diggins-Smith, Las Vegas rattled off eight unanswered points to close the game.

Chelsea Gray, who finished with 16 points for the Aces, bookended the game-closing run with a pair of baskets. Gray also dished out a team-high seven assists.

Jackie Young added 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Las Vegas. Wilson, who was named unanimous WNBA MVP earlier Sunday, matched Kiah Stokes with a team-high eight rebounds.

Nneka Ogwumike recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Gabby Williams scored 14 points and grabbed eight boards, and Mercedes Russell finished with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Diggins-Smith led Seattle with 16 points and a game-high eight assists. Las Vegas held Jewell Loyd to just six points on 2-of-8 shooting from the floor in her return from a knee injury.

The Storm went 25-for-68 from the field (36.8 percent), struggling to find scoring opportunities inside. Wilson was outstanding when it came to protecting the rim, recording five blocked shots.

Ezi Magbegor (concussion) was out for Seattle, which took a 65-64 lead into the fourth before going cold.

–Field Level Media