UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- It speaks of A’ja Wilson’s greatness that a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double in the Aces’ win against the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday was largely considered a relatively slow night at the office.
However, when you compare that outing to Wilson’s utterly dominant 45-point performance — on 15-18 FG — in the Aces’ 101-94 victory over the same Sun on Friday, it all begins to make sense.
The simple truth of the matter is, Wilson’s measuring stick is completely different to anyone else’s — perhaps ever. The four-time MVP is truly one of one and continues to show it on a nightly basis.
Playing a young Connecticut frontcourt (albeit one with veteran Brittney Griner in her regular season debut) for the second time in three nights, Wilson had downloaded all the data she needed to enjoy an all-you-can eat dining experience — becoming the only player in WNBA history with multiple 45-point games.
Her eruption helped the Aces (3-1) to their third straight win, with the visitors holding the lead from start to finish in their final game at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville before the Sun relocates to Houston next year.
In addition to her excellent efficiency from the floor, Wilson also went 13-13 from the free throw line — the 9th time in her career that she had double-digit attempts from the charity stripe without a miss. Her tally at the line also moved Wilson to No. 7 all-time in free throws made, ahead of Tina Charles, who she trailed by one heading into the game.
Speaking about the second-highest scoring performance of her career afterward, Wilson said: “I think I was just getting to my spots (better) and I was patient with the basketball (tonight).
“I was kind of rushed trying to wait or bait the double versus just playing what is in front of me in the last game. I went into this game thinking I needed to use my right hand (more) and just be more patient, and it paid off.”
It wouldn’t be a shock if several of the Sun players talk about this game in years to come as their ‘Welcome to the W’ moment. Facing Wilson will do that to you. She was an unstoppable force from the get go.
Wilson set the tone early, pouring in 11 of her 45 points in the first quarter on 5-5 FG. She didn’t record her first miss until 54 seconds were left in the second frame.
The Aces shot a whopping 69 percent from the field in the opening 10 minutes and ended the game at 60. If you’re going to commit 17 turnovers, shooting lights out as a team will certainly help overcome that.
The Sun drew praise from Wilson after the game for not going away despite trailing all night. The hosts went on several runs that made things very interesting, or nerve-wracking if you’re coach Becky Hammon.
“Playing young teams is exciting and a good test for my conditioning,” Wilson said. “They bring the youth out of you, and you can never relax. You have to keep up because they can claw their way back into games because they’re so relentless.
“I think they have something brewing here that’s going to be special once they start playing as a collective. They have such a young core group, if they stay together a little while, really good things could happen.”
The Aces led 28-20 after one and successfully weathered an 11-0 Connecticut run in the second quarter — that stretched back to the first — to stay ahead 54-44 at the break. Wilson (19) and Chennedy Carter (13) combined for 32 points at the half.
Carter ended the game with 18 points off the bench, showing the Aces’ fans a different side of her offensive repertoire as she went 5-8 from the field and 8-12 from the line. Chelsea Gray added 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 3-5 from beyond the arc. Jackie Young chipped in with 13 points, 6 boards, and 6 dimes.
The Aces took an eight-point cushion into the fourth quarter, but not without being tested further in the third. Hammon was forced into taking a couple of timeouts as a Sun surge briefly made it a two-point game at 72-70 following back-to-back triples from Saniyah Rivers.
Wilson stopped the bleeding with a solo 6-0 run — a contested wing triple and a strong and-one inside, taking advantage of a defensive mismatch with a smaller Aneesah Morrow guarding her.
Wilson had 32 points through three and stayed hot for 13 more to close out the game for the Aces. She secured her fifth career 40-piece with a smooth mid-range jumper with 2:27 remaining. She added another moments later before delivering the dagger with her second three-ball (2-2 3PT on the night).
“People get used to greatness, but when you have people like (A’ja) doing things like this on a nightly basis in this league, I’m sorry, but you can’t get bored of that,” Gray said. “Even I’m surprised by her everyday and I’m around her all the time.”
The Aces have picked up some much-needed momentum on this road trip, after dropping their home opener last week, and they will close it out with a good test against an undefeated Atlanta Dream (2-0) side on Sunday.