LAS VEGAS — A’ja Wilson stepped to the free-throw line, and instead of a hush falling over her home crowd, the Aces faithful got louder, and louder, and louder.

“MVP! MVP! MVP!” they chanted.

The crowd didn’t stop until both of her attempts fell through the hoop.

Wilson, who accepted her MVP trophy prior to tipoff, went to the free-throw line 14 times during her team’s 67-64 victory over the Connecticut Sun in the opening game of the WNBA Finals. And every time, the crowd at Michelob Ultra Arena met her with the same three letters over and over again.

Wilson went 12-of-14 from the line, her free throws making up 50 percent of her game-high 24 points.

While the Aces superstar makes highlight-level plays regularly look easy, her efficiency adds further credence to her MVP selection. Wilson has proved her worth on defense, on offense, and now, on the season’s biggest stage, at the free-throw line.

The 14 attempts were her second most this season — Wilson had 15 against the Liberty on July 6 — and her ability to knock down free throws was the X-factor in Las Vegas’ win.

“The big stat line difference tonight was their ability to get to the foul line and play through contact,” Connecticut coach Curt Miller said.

The M'VP showed up and showed out in Game 1 of the #WNBAFinals

24 PTS // 11 REB // 4 BLK // 2 STL // 54.5% FG@_ajawilson22 // #RaiseTheStakes pic.twitter.com/F7ewUFNCTe

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 11, 2022

After the Sun eliminated the defending champion Chicago Sky in the semifinals to earn a spot in the championship series against the Aces, Miller applauded his post players. He wanted it put on the record that Jonquel Jones, Brionna Jones and Alyssa Thomas had knocked Candace Parker out of the playoffs in three of the last four years.

Parker responded by saying that the Sky hang championship banners, not conference banners, alluding to the fact that her team has won a title and the Sun have not.

Drama of the statement aside, the Sun’s post trio did hold Parker to just seven points in the decisive game, which speaks to their strength and toughness.

But against Wilson, when they tried to assert their will in a similar fashion, she answered with strength and toughness of her own.

“I think she can score the ball, ultimately. She’s able to score at different levels,” Jonquel Jones said. “I think that’s a tough challenge. She’s attacking the rim really aggressively right now, so it’s tough.”

Wilson made four of her six field goals in the first quarter as the Aces outscored Connecticut 25-15. From there, the Sun found their rhythm, using their disruptive style of defense to force Las Vegas into mistakes and missed shots. By halftime, Connecticut had gone on a 21-9 run to take a 38-34 lead into the third quarter.

Coach Becky Hammon let her team have it. The coach’s speech, Chelsea Gray said, isn’t appropriate for sharing with the masses, but whatever Hammon said, it did the trick.

“We ramped up our physicality,” Hammon said. “It felt like we had to get punched in the face before we reacted, and then once — you know, you can take a little stinger, and then all of a sudden, have your attention, and they woke up.”

In the third quarter, that’s exactly what the Aces did.

Instead of the Sun getting their way against Las Vegas’ post players, Wilson pushed them around. Her ability to battle in the paint gave the Sun fits defensively, and they weren’t able to stop her without fouling.

Wilson scored 10 of her 24 points in the third frame, with all but two coming at the free-throw line, where she went a perfect 8-for-8.

Then, with 6:38 left in the fourth quarter, Wilson had perhaps the most important sequence of the contest.

The Aces had reclaimed the lead, 57-55, when DeWanna Bonner drove into the paint. Wilson rose up and blocked the shot. She grabbed the rebound, passed the ball to Dearica Hamby and sprinted up the court, catching a pass from Hamby and finishing at the other end.

The play ignited the Aces crowd, as Wilson screamed in celebration, forcing Connecticut to call a timeout.

This pass. This Finish. This Duo. 🤌@_ajawilson22 // @dearicamarie #RaiseTheStakes pic.twitter.com/NnyxvSmbKg

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 11, 2022

It was the final momentum push the Aces needed, and they rode the energy to a 3-pointer from Kelsey Plum, a Gray stepback make, a Jackie Young jumper, and a free throw from Plum to close out the game.

Gray finished with 21 points and Young added 11.

But throughout the contest, it was the toughness of the MVP that led the Aces to victory.

“She’s got beast skills,” Hammon said. “She’s a beast human. She’s a good one. I’ll go to battle with her any day.”

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

US swimming icon Katie Ledecky is back on top, earning her 22nd world title with a gold medal-winning 1,500-meter freestyle performance at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships on Tuesday.

Finishing with a time of 15:26.44, Ledecky now owns 25 of the top 26 times in the event's history and holds six World Aquatics Championships titles at that distance.

"Each one has meaning, and I love every race that I've had at Worlds over the years," the 28-year-old swimming star told broadcasters following her Tuesday victory.

That 22nd title brought Ledecky's combined Worlds total to an overall 28 medals, lifting the star to second on the all-time most decorated list where she trails only retired US men's star Michael Phelps's 33 podium finishes.

Earlier in the week, the Team USA standout took bronze in the 400-meter freestyle, coming in third behind China's silver-medalist Li Bingjie and Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh, who won the race with a time of 3:56.26.

Gold medals have been hard to come by for Team USA at this year's World Championships.

Other than Ledecky's win and the 100-meter butterfly title snagged by Gretchen Walsh on Monday, the US women have struggled to claim gold medals as they push to recover from the acute gastroenteritis that hit several team members at their pre-meet training camp in Thailand.

That stomach bug inhibited multiple US swimmers from traveling with the team to the Singapore meet, and saw contenders like 100-meter butterfly Olympic gold medalist Torri Huske pull out of initial heats.

"We're taking it a day at a time," said Team USA head coach Greg Meehan about the impact of the illness. "Obviously, this is not how we thought the first few days of this competition would go. But I'm really proud of our team."

How to watch Ledecky at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships

The 2025 World Aquatics Championships runs through Sunday, and US star Ledecky has two events left to swim at the meet.

On Thursday, she'll compete in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, before facing another showdown with rival McIntosh in the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday.

Preliminary heats kick off the night before at 10 PM ET, with finals seeing staggered starts beginning at 7 AM ET.

Live coverage of the meet airs on Peacock.

UEFA Women's Euro 2025 made a splash across the pond, drawing an average of 458,000 US viewers per match across FOX platforms to mark a 97% viewership increase over the 2022 edition — making this year's tournament the most-watched English-language Women's Euro on record.

Building off the 2025 competition's previously reported record-breaking numbers, Sunday's grand finale between defending champs England and 2023 World Cup winners Spain averaged 1.35 million US viewers — a 53% increase in viewership over the last Women's Euro championship match.

Even more, the broadcast ultimately peaked at 1.92 million fans tuning in, making it the most-watched English-language Women's Euro Final on record.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

The historic viewership is a major win for broadcaster FOX, who secured the women's tournament's first-ever US media deal back in May.

Initially committing to live coverage of 20 of the tournament's matches, record returns motivated the broadcast giant to quickly pivot and air all 31 matches live as part of its FOX Sports Summer of Soccer campaign.

"More and more people are tuning in to watch soccer in the US," FOX Sports commentator and UWSNT vet Carli Lloyd told The Athletic. "There's just been an incredible amount of soccer on display, which has been fantastic for the sport."

As the NWSL preps for this weekend's return from an extended summer break, No. 4 Washington Spirit star forward Trinity Rodman is also hoping to re-take the pitch for the first time since April.

Rodman is currently back training with the team, rejoining her club after undergoing extended treatment overseas for chronic back issues.

"I'd never really dealt with something like that," Rodman admitted after an open practice earlier this week. "So, for me, mentally, it was very difficult."

"[I was] trying to function through pain, and kind of gaslight myself to thinking it was fine every day, when it wasn't," she said. "I can now kind of openly say, I was in pain all the time."

Rodman also admits that stepping away was, though difficult, the right call to make for her healing.

"Obviously, it sucks being away from the team and being away from soccer in general," she added. "But I got to work on things that I wouldn't have gotten to work on if I was in the team environment all the time, so I think that was a positive."

Rodman's availability fluctuated after she earned an Olympic gold medal with the USWNT in Paris last summer, with the soccer superstar featuring in just four Spirit games this season — and none since stepping away in April.

Now functioning pain-free, Rodman's next on-pitch challenge is balancing her competitive intensity with her newly found health.

"It's really understanding my body and acknowledging [when] it's in pain," she explained. "And not pushing through things that I shouldn't."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Rodman eyes new contract amid NWSL return

On top of navigating her return to play, Rodman is also actively negotiating with the Washington Spirit for a contract renewal.

Her current deal expires at the end of 2025, and with interest in the US standout reportedly mounting from overseas clubs, the 23-year-old could eventually field multiple offers.

Considering her lack of minutes so far this season, the star called the assumed interest "a weird situation."

"I'm trying not to stress about it or put too much pressure on it," she said of the ongoing talks. "At the end of the day, I'm worried about health first.... Everything else can come next."

Wednesday's WNBA bill puts a heavyweight battle in the spotlight, as 2024 finalists and 2025 league leaders Minnesota will host reigning champion No. 2 New York in their first face-off of the season — with the Liberty hoping to rattle both the Lynx and the standings.

"I think common sense would say that those two teams probably should have played earlier in the season," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve told media this week, referencing the apparent scheduling idiosyncrasies that delayed the championship rematch.

"It doesn't feel like a Finals rematch anymore, honestly," Lynx forward Napheesa Collier echoed. "It's a new year for us. And it's been so long, it's almost August, so it's just the two top teams going against each other."

Both squads enter the clash on uncharacteristic skids, as Minnesota and New York look to avenge recent losses while other WNBA teams jockey for positioning during the league's Wednesday night slate:

• No. 3 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever, 7 PM ET (ESPN3): The Fever must continue to contend without injured star guard Caitlin Clark, as Indiana faces a newly healthy Mercury side striving to steal back the No. 2 spot with a win.

• No. 5 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 11 Dallas Wings, 8 PM ET (ESPN3): After a disappointing Tuesday upset loss, the will Dream close out a back-to-back against a bolstered Dallas squad fresh off a big victory over New York.

• No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, 8 PM ET (ESPN): With a four-game lead in the standings, the Lynx aren't in danger of giving up their perch at the top, but a strong performance from the Liberty could provide a much-needed boost to the ailing title-holders.