A’ja Wilson, Jewell Loyd help Aces demolish Sun

A’ja Wilson recorded 22 points, 10 rebounds and three steals to help the Las Vegas Aces roll to an 87-62 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night in Uncasville, Conn.

Jewell Loyd made 6 of 9 3-point attempts while scoring 20 points for Las Vegas (1-1). Jackie Young had 16 points and Chelsea Gray added 12 for the Aces, who never trailed and led by as many as 35 points.

Tina Charles scored 20 points to lead the Sun (0-2). Rookie Saniya Rivers added 11 points off the bench for Connecticut.

Loyd bounced back after struggling in her Las Vegas debut. The guard acquired from the Seattle Storm had just five points on 2-of-10 shooting — 1-of-6 from behind the arc — in a season-opening loss to the New York Liberty on Saturday.

Las Vegas shot 38.8 percent from the field Tuesday, including 10 of 26 from 3-point range.

The Sun connected on 34.4 percent of their attempts and hit 3 of 17 from behind the arc. Connecticut committed 18 turnovers.

Charles was the lone Sun starter to reach double digits. The other four combined for 15 points with Jacy Sheldon missing all seven of her shots in a scoreless effort.

The Aces scored the first nine points of the game and led 24-13 at the end of the first quarter. Young had 11 points in the period.

Loyd drained two treys in 25 seconds to cap a 16-2 run as Las Vegas stretched its lead to 44-23 with 2:27 remaining in the first half.

The Aces led 52-29 at the break. Loyd and Young each had 14 points in the half. Charles had 12 in the half for Connecticut.

Las Vegas scored the first seven points of the third quarter to increase its advantage to 30. Kierstan Bell ended the quarter in style by hitting a 3-pointer to give the Aces a 78-46 advantage entering the final stanza.

Aaliyah Nye drained a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter to make it a 35-point margin as Las Vegas cruised to the finish.

–Field Level Media