Las Vegas Aces Down Japan 94-78 in Preseason Exhibition
WNBA Las Vegas Aces

Las Vegas Aces Down Japan 94-78 in Preseason Exhibition

Published on April 27, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Las Vegas Aces News Release


LAS VEGAS - The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Japan Women's Basketball National Team 94-78 in a preseason exhibition game on Sunday evening in Michelob ULTRA Arena. Six players scored in double figures for the Aces, led by Chennedy Carter's 18 points. Jackie Young scored 17, Chelsea Gray had 16, Kierstan Bell checked in for 14, Jewell Loyd added 13 and NaLyssa Smith posted the game's lone double-double with 11 points and 13 boards.

Japan's Mai Yamamoto scored a game-high 24 on 7 of 13 shooting from deep and Norika Konna finished with 12.

Stats | Gallery | Highlights

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final

Aces 30 22 19 23 94

Japan 30 15 12 21 78

1st Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 30, Japan 30)

After the Aces charged out to a 20-7 lead over the opening 4:25, Japan fought back and behind five 3s, tied things up at 28-all. Each side netted a pair from the line to bring the quarter to a close. Gray led the Aces with 8 points; Yamamoto had 9 for her squad. The Aces shot 9 of 15 from the field and 3 of 6 from deep and Japan went 10 of 22 overall, 5 of 11 behind the arc. The Aces were 9 of 12 from the line and Japan hit all 5 of its free throws.

2nd Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 52, Japan 45)

Japan scored first, remained in the lead and held a 44-41 edge at 4:41. Back-to-back buckets from Smith put the Aces up 45-44. That was followed by a free throw on the other side, which knotted the game for the fifth and final time. Gray scored six of the final 7 points of the quarter and the Aces took a 7-point lead into the locker room. Gray and Smith led the period's scorers with 6 apiece, while no Japan player scored more than 4. Both teams saw a drop in shooting, with the Aces going 7 of 17 from the field and 1 of 10 from afar, and Japan hitting just 5 of 16 field goal attempts and 2 of 8 from deep.

3rd Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 71, Japan 57)

The Aces roared out of halftime on a 17-3 tear for their largest lead of the game, 69-48. However, the tables turned and Japan closed the frame with a 9-2 spurt, narrowing the gap to 14 points. Young's 10 points led all scorers and again no Japanese player notched more than 4 points. Japan was held to 5 of 20 from the field and 2 of 12 from 3-point; the Aces were 9 of 19 overall and 1 of 8 from deep.

4th Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 94, Japan 78)

The Aces extended their lead to 79-60 at 7:08 and maintained a double-digit lead until the final buzzer. Carter paced all scorers with 11 points and Yamamoto tallied 9. Japan hit 7 of 18 from the field and 5 of 9 from 3-point; the Aces netted 7 of 20 overall and 3 of 10 from afar.

KEY STATS

The Aces finished the night shooting 45.1% (32-71 FGs) from the field and 23.5% (8-34 3pt FGS) behind the arc; Japan made 35.5% (27-76 FGs) of their shot attempts, including 35% (14-40 3pt FGs) from distance.

The Aces went 22 of 26 (.846) from the line; Japan connected on 10 of 12 (.833) of their free throw attempts.

The Aces outrebounded Japan 44-31.

Las Vegas scored 13 points on 15 Japan turnovers and gave up 11 points on their own 11 miscues.

There were 4 lead changes and 5 knotted scores, all in the first half.

The Aces outscored Japan 36-24 in the paint and 8-2 on the fast break, but were edged 13-12 by Japan on second chance points.

Las Vegas was credited with 11 blocks to Japan's 2.

GAME NOTES

The Aces were without the services of Dana Evans (left leg) and A'ja Wilson (right arm).

NEXT UP

The Aces close their preseason exhibition slate with a clash against Dallas in Austin on May 3. The game, which tips at 4 pm PDT, will air nationally on ION.

Check out the Las Vegas Aces Statistics

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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from April 27, 2026


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