The WNBA regular season is over, which means that end-of-season awards soon will be handed out to the league’s best players.
Two of the top MVP candidates – Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson – battled once more Sunday in the race for the WNBA’s highest individual honor. In the Las Vegas Aces’ 109-100 win over the Seattle Storm, the pair finished in a dead heat on the scoresheet.
Wilson racked up 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, which gives her the franchise record for most career double-doubles, surpassing the mark set by Las Vegas general manager Natalie Williams. Wilson also had two steals and an all-important block on Stewart during the game.
A’ja Wilson blocks Breanna Stewart 😤 pic.twitter.com/f9KZzkg8az— TimeoutSPORTS__ (@TimeoutSPORTS3) August 14, 2022
A’ja Wilson blocks Breanna Stewart 😤 pic.twitter.com/f9KZzkg8az
Her points total brought her to 703 on the season, which makes Wilson and Kelsey Plum (719 points) the first teammates in WNBA history to amass 700-plus points each in a season.
Perhaps most importantly, Wilson’s stellar showing helped her team secure the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. She was joined in double-digits by Chelsea Gray, who had a career-high 33 points alongside seven rebounds and nine assists, as well as Plum, who had 23 points.
Stewart was just as good on the other side of the ball, with 21 points, 15 rebounds and four assists. It marks her fifth game in a row with 20 points or more, showcasing just how lethal she can be for Seattle.
Jewell Loyd had a career-high 38 points alongside Stewart, including 8-of-14 shooting from 3-point range. The team tied the WNBA all-time record for 3-pointers in a single game at 18.