Aaliyah Nye's Career-High 16 Points, A'ja Wilson's 26 Points, 18 Boards Lead Aces Past Mercury, 84-81

Sports stats

WNBA Las Vegas Aces

Aaliyah Nye's Career-High 16 Points, A'ja Wilson's 26 Points, 18 Boards Lead Aces Past Mercury, 84-81

June 29, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Las Vegas Aces News Release


PHOENIX - The Las Vegas Aces (8-8) pulled out a 84-81 win on the road against the Phoenix Mercury (12-5) on Sunday afternoon. A'ja Wilson led the Aces with 26 points, 18 rebounds and 7 assists, while rookie Aaliyah Nye recorded a career-high night with 16 points off the bench, Jackie Young chipped in with 15 points and 6 assists and Jewell Loyd added 10 points.

The Mercury also had four players score in double figures, including 16 points from Alyssa Thomas, 15 from Kahleah Copper, 14 from Sami Whitcomb off the bench and 10 from Satou Sabally.

KEY RUNS

First Quarter Highlights (Phoenix 21, Las Vegas 15)

Phoenix used an 11-0 run to take a 13-4 lead at 4:07. The Aces countered with a mini 9-3 run to cut it to 3 at 16-13 at the 1:25 mark after a 3-pointer from Nye, but the Mercury outscored the Aces 5-2 to close the quarter. Wilson and Gray led Las Vegas with 4 points apiece, while Copper and Whitcomb led Phoenix with 5. Las Vegas tallied 6 turnovers, which resulted in 10 Phoenix points, while the Mercury committed just 3 turnovers. The Aces shot an icy 4-of-13 (.308) from the field, while the Mercury connected on 8-of-20 (.400) from the floor.

Second Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 40, Phoenix 40)

Nye got the second quarter started for the Aces with her second 3 of the game to bring the Aces within 5, 23-18. Her 3 was part of a 11-6 Aces run that tied up the game at 29-all with 4:34 to go in the half. A 3-pointer by Tiffany Mitchell gave the Aces their first lead at 32-29 since leading 4-2 with 7:05 left in the first. It was a back-and-forth affair the rest of the half with neither team leading by more than 2 points; there were 5 lead changes and 5 ties in the quarter alone. The Aces shooting improved in the second quarter to 50% (9-18 FGs) and 50% (3-6 3FGs) from 3-point range; the Mercury made just 4-of-13 from the field. Wilson paced the Aces again with 8 points and Thomas added 6 for the Mercury.

Third Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 59, Phoenix 50)

Led by Wilson's 8 points, the Aces launched a 12-6 run to start the third that catapulted them to a 6-point lead, 52-46. Las Vegas expanded its lead to 9 points, 57-48, with a pair of free throws from Wilson. The Aces extended their run to 19-10 and headed into the final frame up 9. Las Vegas held Phoenix to 16.7% from the field (3-18 FGs) and 20% from beyond the arc (1-5 3pt FGs), while the Aces shot 42.9% (6-14 FGs) from the floor. Wilson kept pace for Las Vegas, leading all scorers with 10 points in the third; Sabally tallied 6 for the Mercury.

Fourth Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 84, Phoenix 81)

The Mercury opened the fourth quarter on a 15-3 run and moved ahead 65-62 with 6:35 to go. Whitcomb hit two 3-pointers during Phoenix's run, while the Aces missed all 5 of their field goal attempts, with their 3 points coming from Young at the line. Las Vegas regained the lead 75-74 after a fast break 3-pointer from Loyd. The game was tight the rest of the way; Wilson hit a layup with 22.6 seconds left to open the Aces lead to 2 points, 83-81. Nye hit 1-of-2 free throws with 7.1 seconds left and a potential game-tying 3-point miss from Whitcomb sealed the Aces win.

KEY STATS

The Aces connected on 43.3% (26-60 FGs) from the field and 37.5% (9-24 3pt FGs) from distance, while holding Phoenix to 38% (27-71 FGs) from the floor. However, Phoenix shot a better 41.7% (10-24 3pt FGs) from 3-point range.

Las Vegas edged Phoenix in rebounds, 36-35.

The Aces gave up 18 points on 13 turnovers and scored 10 points off of Phoenix's 11 miscues.

The Mercury outscored the Aces 30-28 points in the paint, 16-10 in second chances and 12-4 on the fast break.

Phoenix's bench outscored the Aces reserves 28-24.

GAME NOTES

Wilson, who finished with 26 points and 18 rebounds, recorded her 79th double-double with at least 20 points, which is the second-most in league history behind Tina Charles' 104.

Wilson has scored in double figures in each of her past 64 regular season games, the 7th longest streak in league history and longest active streak. Arike Ogunbowale owns the sixth-longest such streak with 65.

Loyd now has 5,718 points for her career, which ranks No. 20 in WNBA history. Brittney Griner is No. 19 with 5,723; Wilson's 5,063 is at No. 26, with Swin Cash 's 5,119 points sitting at No. 25.

With 5 assists, Gray now has 1,700 career assists, which ranks No. 7 among all-time WNBA assist leaders. Becky Hammon is 8 assists away at No. 6 with 1,708.

Young went 5 of 5 from the line and has now made 39 consecutive free throws, dating to June 11.

Young has 2,973 career points and is 27 away from her 3,000th point.

The Aces were without Megan Gustafson (lower left leg) and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (pregnancy).

UP NEXT: The Aces remain on the road the next 4 games in July, starting with a trip to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a contest against the Indiana Fever (8-8). The game, which tips at 4 p.m. PT, will be broadcast locally on Vegas 34 and streamed on Prime Video.

Check out the Las Vegas Aces Statistics



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from June 29, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Las Vegas Aces Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central