Las Vegas Aces become first repeat WNBA champs in 21 years, beating New York Liberty 70-69 in Game 4
The Las Vegas Aces became the first team in 21 years to win back-to-back WNBA championships, getting 24 points and 16 rebounds from Aโja Wilson and a defensive stop in the closing seconds to beat the New York Liberty 70-69 in Game 4 of the Finals.
Stewart and Collier plan to start a new women's league to play in WNBA offseason
WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier are starting a new womenโs basketball league to give top players another option to play in the U.S. in the offseason once the leagueโs prioritization rules go into effect next year.
Young beats buzzer, Aces top Storm 110-98 in OT in Game 3
Jackie Young sent the game in overtime with a buzzer-beating basket and then Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum hit big shots in the extra session to help the Las Vegas Aces beat the Seattle Storm 110-98 to move within a victory of advancing to the WNBA Finals.
Stewart and Storm could be poised to win more WNBA titles
Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm never really got a chance to defend their 2018 championship because of key injuries. โI donโt know if any of us are thinking that way,โ Stewart said after the Storm completed a three-game sweep of the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night by setting a WNBA Finals record with a 33-point win. The 26-year-old won a second WNBA Finals MVP as a unanimous choice and was nearly unstoppable in the championship round. Bird, who turns 40 next week, has been a part of all four of the Storm championships during three decades. I just kind of start working out and see how I feel,โ said Bird, who averaged 11 assists in the WNBA Finals.
Stewart leads Seattle to 2nd WNBA title in 3 years
Stewart scored 26 points and Seattle completed a sweep of the Las Vegas Aces with a 92-59 rout Tuesday night. It was the biggest margin of victory in WNBA Finals history. Seattle had pretty much the same core group that won the 2018 championship back for this year, led by Stewart, Bird and Jewell Loyd. Seattle has now won a record 11 games in a row in the WNBA Finals, dating to the team's first championship in 2004. She led the Dream to three WNBA Finals appearances but the team was swept in each one.
Stewart, Bird help Storm rout Aces; go up 2-0 in WNBA Finals
The team had 33 assists to set a WNBA championship round record as the Storm had a more balanced offense. Las Vegas couldn't respond. A'ja Wilson had 20 points to lead Las Vegas while Angel McCoughtry and Emma Cannon added 17 each. The Storm, who had 17 assists on their 18 baskets, built the lead to 13 before Las Vegas rallied to the six-point halftime deficit. ... Stewart had her fifth consecutive 20-point game in the WNBA Finals spanning back to the 2018 season.
Aces hope for winning hand in Game 2 of WNBA Finals
โYou impose on them it's a five-game series, even if you lose one game so what? โHe trusts us and knows what weโre capable of.โThe Aces feel that they have fixable problems. It was also the first finals for many of the Aces players, including Wilson and Jackie Young. Stewart had a career-high 37 points โ one short of the WNBA Finals record. The biggest thing is to make them contested shots," Wilson said.
Stewart lifts Storm to Game 1 WNBA Finals win over Aces
Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart (30) celebrates after the team defated the Las Vegas Aces during Game 1 of basketball's WNBA Finals Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Bradenton, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)BRADENTON, Fla. โ The Seattle Storm's lead down to two with a quarter left, Breanna Stewart took over. The big-game player scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter and finished with 37 to help the Storm beat the Las Vegas Aces 93-80 on Friday night in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. She was a point short of the WNBA Finals record set by Angel McCoughtry. McCoughtry scored 20 points to lead Las Vegas, which was playing in the WNBA Finals for the first time since the franchise moved to the Nevada city three years ago. Eight players had reached 11 assists in a finals game before Bird's record performance.
Aces' A'ja Wilson earns AP WNBA player of the year honors
โShe knows who she is, she knows where sheโs going,โ said Las Vegas coach Bill Laimbeer. โI feel like I'm a more complete player now then when I first got into the league,โ Wilson said in an online interview. The second team included Phoenix teammates Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith, Connecticut teammates DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas, and Minnesota's Napheesa Collier. POWER POLLThe Las Vegas Aces finished atop the AP Power Poll, a spot they held for three of the final four weeks of the season. A'ja Wilson also received votes after she led Las Vegas to the top seed in the postseason.
WNBA: Recap of the 3 Thursday night games
Jewell Lloyd added 20 points and Jordin Canada poured in 14 points for the Seattle squad. Carter became the first rookie in Dream history to score 25 or more points in two straight games. Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 17 points, Isabelle Harrison added 12 points and Tyasha Harris scored 10 points. Phoenix Mercury 96, Chicago Sky 86Diana Taurasi and Brittany Griner each scored 22 points as the Phoenix Mercury defeat the Chicago Sky. Courtney Vandersloot led the Sky with 21 points, Kahleah Copper added 18 and Allie Quigley poured in 13 points for the Chicago squad.
WNBA: Previewing all three Tuesday night games
Three WNBA games are scheduled for Tuesday, with most teams going into their third or fourth games of the season. Dallas Wings vs. Chicago Sky -- 6 p.m. ETThe Sky (3-1) got a huge 88-86 victory over the defending WNBA champion Washington Mystics on Saturday. Courtney Vandersloot, Cheyenne Parker, Gabby Williams and Diamond DeShields will be relied upon to get Chicago a win against a young Wings team. The Sun will need its young talent to step up to secure a win against a tough Storm team.
Stewart, Hines-Allen named first WNBA players of the week for 2020 season
Myisha Hines-Allen, of the Washington Mystics, and Breanna Stewart, of the Seattle Storm, have been named the first conference players of the week for the 2020 WNBA season. Hines-Allen averaged 17 points, nine rebounds and two assists to earn Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Last season, Hines-Allen averaged two points per game, but this season that has jumped to 17 points per game. Stewart, the 2018 MVP, averaged 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists to earn Western Conference Player of the Week. Stewart is in her third year in the league and has bounced back tremendously after rupturing her achilles last season.
WNBA: Recap of the four games on Tuesday
Alyssa Thomas scored 28 points and 11 rebounds while DeWanna Bonner had 29 points and nine rebounds for the Sun. Cheyenne Parker added 12 points and Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot and Gabby Williams scored 11 each for Chicago. Seattle Storm 90, Minnesota Lynx 66Breanna Stewart had 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Seattle Storm defeated the Minnesota Lynx. Damiris Dantas led Minnesota with 18 points. Sylvia Fowles finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but also passed former teammate and current Lynx assistant coach Rebekkah Brunson on the all time rebounding list.