When the Seattle Storm held on in the fourth quarter to upset the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of the semifinals on Sunday, A’ja Wilson — the Aces’ best player — hadn’t heard her name called over the loudspeaker in a while.

In the 76-73 loss, Wilson made just three shots, her second-lowest total of the season. That statistic sounds bad on paper, and in reality, it’s even worse. With 10 shot attempts, and only one in the fourth quarter, Wilson’s offensive presence was virtually non-existent for the Aces.

The MVP candidate leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.5 points per game, and does so in an efficient manner, making 50 percent of her shot attempts. But on Sunday, Wilson finished with just eight points on 30 percent shooting as her team fell at home to the No. 4-seeded Storm.

Wilson has been the focal point of the Las Vegas offense all season, but the Aces failed to get her involved in a big way and, as a result, enter Game 2 on Wednesday in a 1-0 hole.

Let’s break down Wilson’s performance by quarter.

First quarter

Seattle started the game hot, jumping out to a 26-15 lead, while the Aces made just four shots in the opening 10 minutes. Wilson didn’t record a single point in the first quarter, but she did have four attempts, her highest total of the four periods.

Wilson is a capable shooter in the midrange and from long range, averaging 37.3 percent from the 3-point line this season, but her best basketball is played in the paint. She scores 65.1 percent of her points from inside the arc, averaging a league-high 12.1 attempts per game from 2-point range and making 6.4 of them.

But in the first quarter on Sunday, Wilson took two jumpers from the free-throw line — one of which was blocked — and attempted two 3-pointers. In total, she had seven touches, none of which came in the paint and three of which were to help set up the Aces’ offense rather than take to the rim herself.

Second quarter

The second period was Wilson’s most productive of the contest, as she scored six points and helped the Aces cut the deficit from 11 points to seven.

She had eight touches, with five coming in scoring position and two in the low-post position. Wilson scored on both post-ups. On the first, she faked middle, took a one-dribble spin to the left side and finished over Magbegor as Seattle guard Stephanie Talbot came over to help. Her second made shot was on a two-dribble step-through to beat fellow MVP candidate Breanna Stewart.

🅰️ Bucket!@_ajawilson22 // #RaiseTheStakes pic.twitter.com/2MC6DIHsA7

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) August 28, 2022

Her other three touches in scoring position resulted in a missed jumper, two free throws and a whistle on Talbot that sent her to the bench with three fouls and led to an inbounds play for the Aces.

Third quarter

The Aces started to claw their way back into the contest during the third quarter, and they trailed by three points going into the final frame. But they continued to neglect their centerpiece, which led to disjointed and inconsistent offense.

Wilson doesn’t need to shoot on every possession, but she does need to be involved. If Wilson catches in scoring position, the Storm have to react, often sending multiple defenders to help. That leads to openings for the rest of the Aces players and high-quality shot attempts.

But in the third quarter, Wilson had four touches and only two in scoring position. The first led to a double team and a tie-up, while the second resulted in a bucket as Wilson caught the ball at the free-throw line and drove past Stewart.

Fourth quarter

As the Aces fought to take the lead or force overtime in the fourth quarter, their top offensive player had one shot attempt. It was the only time she got the ball in scoring position and one of just four total touches for Wilson in the final period.

Las Vegas took its first lead with 6:15 left in the game as Riquna Williams knocked down a 3-pointer. From there, the lead evaporated as Jewell Loyd capped a 26-point performance with 11 points and an assist in the final five minutes of play. Kelsey Plum missed two looks from 3-point range in the last 25 seconds, and the Storm closed out the victory on the road.

The Aces will have a very hard time advancing to the Finals or winning a WNBA championship without Wilson’s constant involvement. Their game starts with Wilson in the paint, and that’s what will drive them to success. After learning their lesson on Sunday, Las Vegas needs to emphasize getting her post touches early and often in Game 2.

The Aces have lost consecutive games just three times this season, so expect Coach of the Year Becky Hammon to make adjustments and find ways to get Wilson more involved. Otherwise, Las Vegas will likely be facing a similar outcome Wednesday.

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

The New York Liberty cleaned house this week, officially parting ways with 2024 WNBA championship-winning head coach Sandy Brondello while starting the search for a new sideline boss — with some reported "big swings" in mind.

Multiple league sources told The Athletic that New York is aiming for high-profile candidates, with the Liberty likely scouting coaching talent from both the NBA and the NCAA.

With top New York Liberty stars Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones entering free agency, the pressure is on for the front office to prove that hiring a new head coach will offset the issues that emerged during the team's injury-plagued 2025 run.

WNBA teams have tapped into a diversified head coaching pool in recent years, with Golden State Valkyries boss and 2025 Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase highlighting a rising generation of managers with a mix of men's and women's basketball experience.

The Atlanta Dream's Karl Smesko, an esteemed former college coach, and Phoenix's Nate Tibbetts — who spent years as an NBA assistant coach before joining the Mercury in 2024 — also found success on the WNBA court this year.

Potential replacements fitting New York's reported bill include Los Angeles Lakers assistant Lindsey Harding, Indiana Pacers assistant Jenny Boucek, Mercury assistant Kristi Toliver, and current Liberty assistant Sonia Raman.

"[Toliver's] ready," Tibbetts said recently, singing his assistant's praises. "She's got a great basketball mind. She's got the ultimate respect of the players in this league, which is so important, and her time will come — she just needs one team to give her a chance."

The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury went the distance on Tuesday night, overcoming a 20-point deficit against the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx to secure an 89-83 Game 2 win in overtime — and sending the 2025 WNBA semifinals to Arizona tied at 1-1.

Even more, Phoenix's come-from-behind victory set records as the third-largest comeback in WNBA playoff history.

Mercury forward Satou Sabally led the team with 24 points, while guard Sami Whitcomb added 13 points off the bench — including the game-tying three-pointer that propelled the matchup into overtime.

"Just pride, toughness, grit. I couldn't be more proud of our group for doing that," Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said afterwards. "I'm fired up. Phoenix is going to be rocking on Friday and Sunday."

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After dominating Game 1, Tuesday's defeat marked the first time in Lynx franchise history that they lost a postseason game after holding a double-digit halftime lead.

"Suddenly, we lost our way," said Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve. "We didn't respond. Then when we needed to go get buckets and we had good opportunities, we weren't strong enough."

"I think we beat ourselves," forward Napheesa Collier added. "Unforced turnovers, not taking care of the ball when they were pressuring us, just keeping our composure in those situations is huge."

How to watch the Minnesota Lynx vs. Phoenix Mercury in Game 3

The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury will host the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx for Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA semifinals at 9:30 PM ET on Friday, airing live on ESPN2.

The No. 2 Las Vegas Aces reclaimed their contender status in Game 2 on Tuesday night, taking down the No. 6 Indiana Fever in a 90-68 blowout victory to tie their best-of-five 2025 WNBA semifinals at 1-1.

Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson fueled the Aces' bounce-back performance with 25 points and nine rebounds, backed by 10 points apiece from reserves Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans.

"I just think we came to work," Wilson said following the win. "We didn't come to work in Game 1, and that's on all of us. I think Game 2, we just decided to come to work."

Physicality on the court — as well as the referees' response to it — has played a major role in the Aces vs. Fever series, with Las Vegas clearly upping the intensity to keep Indiana at bay on Tuesday.

"It's playoffs — very physical games," said Aces forward NaLyssa Smith afterwards. "I feel like we've got to match the energy, day in and day out."

"It's hard for us to find flow when there's a foul called every 10 seconds," Fever head coach Stephanie White lamented. "When they're at the free throw line, we can't get up and down the floor, and that's a challenge."

How to watch the Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever in Game 3

The 2025 WNBA semifinals next travels to Indiana for Game 3, with the No. 6 Fever hosting the No. 2 Aces at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on ESPN2.

Despite finishing at the bottom of the 2025 WNBA standings, the No. 12 Chicago Sky and No. 13 Dallas Wings will not be moving on from their current head coaches according to a report from Front Office Sports this week.

Dallas sideline leader Chris Koclanes and Chicago manager Tyler Marsh led their sides to identical 10-34 records in their first year at the helm — the worst in the league this season.

In contrast, 2025 playoff participants Seattle and New York are already making aggressive coaching changes, dismissing Storm boss Noelle Quinn and Liberty leader Sandy Brondello following first-round postseason exits.

While some fans criticized the presumed decision, Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings stars spoke out in support of their head coaches.

"Obviously the season didn't go how we expected, but being able to have a coach like Tyler, it was amazing through the ups and downs," Chicago center Kamilla Cardoso told reporters. "He always showed up every day with the same energy, no matter what the record was."

"The team embodies the attitude of your leader," echoed Dallas guard Paige Bueckers. "And for [Koclanes] to show up every single day at work and pour into all of us…it means a lot to us as a team."