The Las Vegas Aces leaned on A'ja Wilson's 27-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist performance to beat the Toronto Tempo 88-78 on Saturday in Vancouver.
A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young Establish Control Early in Aces vs Tempo
Wilson scored nine in the opening quarter, with Jackie Young adding 21 points as the Aces pulled within reach of second-place Golden State at 26-13. Together, the pair accounted for more than half of Las Vegas's scoring output.
Still, the Tempo kept things competitive despite missing five players. Marina Mabrey sat out with an adductor injury that's being evaluated week to week. Brittney Sykes and Aneesah Morrow went down in Friday's win over Portland, ending both of their seasons. Nyara Sabally and Maria Conde also sat out with calf injuries.
Toronto Tempo Rely on Kia Nurse, Kiki Rice Amid Mounting Injuries
In their stead, Kia Nurse poured in 19 points to lead Toronto. Kiki Rice and Temi Fagbenle also added 14 and 13, respectively. A late 6-0 run trimmed a 10-point deficit to four by halftime, but the Aces pulled away in the third quarter and never looked back.
The loss dropped the Tempo to 11-26, just two days after they had snapped a 12-game losing streak against Portland.
