Young has 32 as Aces go up 2-0 in WNBA Finals

LAS VEGAS -- Jackie Young acceptable a WNBA Finals grounds with 21 points successful the 3rd quarter, finishing with 32 to transportation the Las Vegas Aces to a 91-78 triumph implicit the Phoenix Mercury connected Sunday for a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 is Wednesday successful Phoenix, wherever the Aces anticipation to enactment a stranglehold connected the bid arsenic they pursuit their 3rd rubric successful 4 years. The Mercury person the gangly task of needing to triumph 4 of 5 games to seizure their 4th championship, which would necktie the WNBA record.

Young, who tied a vocation playoff precocious successful full points, fell conscionable abbreviated of the league grounds of 22 points for immoderate postseason quarter. Three players person accomplished that, astir precocious successful 2021 erstwhile Young's teammate, Jewell Loyd, deed that fig for Seattle against the Mercury.

A'ja Wilson scored 20 of her 28 points successful the archetypal fractional and had 14 rebounds. Chelsea Gray finished with 10 points and 10 assists.

Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 23 points, Satou Sabally scored 22 and Alyssa Thomas had 10 portion coping with foul occupation overmuch of the game.

Like successful Game 1 erstwhile they began with a 10-2 lead, the Mercury came retired strong, scoring the archetypal 7 points. Phoenix coiled up with 27 points successful the archetypal quarter, but past the Aces held the Mercury to a combined 24 points implicit the pursuing 2 periods.

By that point, the Aces had taken charge, starring 76-51 going into the 4th and yet going up by arsenic overmuch arsenic 22 points.

Any squad facing Aces manager Becky Hammon successful a Game 2 successful Las Vegas is asking for trouble. She ran her grounds to 9-0 with this victory, the mean borderline being much than 17 points.