Chelsea Gray, Aces earn statement victory in dramatic fashion over Fever
Derek Hegna
Host · Writer
When the Aces needed Chelsea Gray to be at her best, the Point Gawd and Team USA member responded in tremendous fashion.
Gray would sink a three-pointer in the final second of regulation to push the Indiana Fever to overtime, then proceeded to walk the game off in the extra period with a buzzer-beater triple to carry the Aces to victory 86-84 on Thursday.
Requiring a clutch sequence to prevent a sweep at the hands of the Fever, A’ja Wilson put together an excellent defensive stop on Caitlin Clark with a steal, followed by Jackie Young kicking the ball out to Gray, who sank the Fever with the last shot of the game.
The finish puts Gray as the first player in WNBA history to make a game-tying buzzer-beater at the end of regulation, followed by a game-winning shot in overtime.
Save by Young!
While Gray deserves the props that she gets for finishing the job, the Aces get nowhere close to this moment without the heroics of Young.
Trailing by 20 in the second quarter and on the verge of another blowout at the hands of Indiana, Young single-handedly flipped the script on the game. Despite missing her first five shots, Young would secure the final 13 points of the quarter for the Aces and push her team to a 15-0 run to cut the Fever lead to a more manageable five points. With Indiana not scoring in just under the final three minutes of the quarter, the Aces went from seeing another game slip away to having all the momentum on their side heading into halftime.
“Jackie was awesome tonight,” said Gray as she gave her teammate some well-deserved respect. “She had a slow start and was in foul trouble. She comes in, we give her the ball, she goes on a run for us and brings us back.”
Keeping the pressure
Back in the fight, the Aces proceeded to take the fight to the Fever heading into the third quarter.
The Aces would secure the first seven points of the quarter to grab the lead, but even more impressive was the defensive effort. The Fever’s first points of the third came off of free throws from Clark, and Indiana did not record a single field goal until halfway through. Las Vegas would secure a 19-9 victory in the third quarter, holding Indiana to their second-lowest scoring quarter this season.
“From the end of the second quarter into the third quarter, I think we got 15 stops in a row,” said Aces head coach Becky Hammon, who was more than pleased with her team’s defensive effort. “That’s why I’m optimistic when we do play defense, because I know we can win any game when we’re locked in defensively.”
Fight to the finish
While the Fever would claw their way back and get out in front again, the Aces refused to relent.
Wilson would get herself going throughout the game and came through for her team in the clutch moments, especially in overtime with the first eight points for the Aces coming from the four-time MVP. Kelsey Mitchell and the Fever would get opportunities to finish the job, but the Aces were the ones to get the last shot both times. Gray would then see to it that her team would be the ones on the other side of the miraculous comeback this time.
