LAS VEGAS — For the last two seasons, the Las Vegas Aces have been the No. 1 topic in the WNBA. Of course, that happens when a team wins back-to-back titles in impressive fashion, but there was considerable anticipation for Saturday’s matchup between the Aces and the Indiana Fever, featuring No.
1 overall pick Caitlin Clark. For most of the first half, the two teams put on a show, and the Fever seemed to build on . However, Las Vegas was the fresher, more talented team in this battle, pulling away en route to a 99-80 victory.
Indiana performed well at the outset, particularly on the offensive end. Kelsey Mitchell and Clark converted back-to-back three-pointers to give the Fever a narrow lead midway through the opening period. Caitlin Clark from wayyyyy downtown 💪 📺 NBA TV — WNBA (@WNBA) On the other side, Kelsey Plum and for the Aces.
Plum and Young each scored nine points in the first quarter, contributing to a break-neck overall pace. 🐶🐶🐶 // — Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) that was TUFFFFF // — Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) All told, the two teams combined for 52 points and 51.4 percent shooting in the first quarter, with sky-high transition frequency and pace contributing to entertaining play.
Indiana took its largest lead of the half at 32-26 early in the second quarter but, from there, the rest of the half belonged to Las Vegas. The Aces clamped down defensively, holding the Fever to only four points in almost seven full minutes. The end result was a 20-4 .