INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A’ja Wilson became the WNBA’s single-season scoring leader and finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds to help the Las Vegas Aces beat the Indiana Fever 86-75 on Wednesday night for their 14th straight win in the series.
Wilson passed Jewell Loyd’s total of 939 points on a jumper from the free-throw line with 26.4 seconds left before halftime. Wilson needed just 35 games to top last year’s record by Loyd, who needed 38 games. Wilson’s previous high was 912 points, set in 40 games last season.
She finished the game with 956 points this season and could potentially be the first player in league history to reach 1,000 in a year.
After Indiana got within 72-66, Wilson scored eight straight Las Vegas points in a two-minute span for an 80-71 lead with 4:04 left. The Aces didn’t score again until Wilson completed a three-point play with 1:04 left.
Indiana had a chance to get within 80-76 but Caitlin Clark missed a wide open 3-pointer.
MYSTICS 89, SKY 58
CHICAGO (AP) — Aaliyah Edwards had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Brittney Sykes added 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and the Washington Mystics beat Chicago 89-58 on Wednesday night to move within one game of the eighth-place Sky for the final playoff spot.
Washington (12-24) is tied for ninth with Atlanta (12-24), which hosts the Mystics on Friday in the first of a home-and-home series. Chicago (13-23) closes the week against playoff-bound Minnesota and Phoenix — before a matchup with Atlanta on Sept. 17.
Washington shot 50% from the field, with all 11 active players making a field goal. The Mystics allowed a season-low 58 points after the Sky shot just 36% with 15 turnovers.
Sika Kone added 11 points off the bench for Washington, which has beaten Chicago three times in four meetings this season.
STORM 90, SPARKS 82
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Skylar Diggins-Smith had 26 points, Gabby Williams scored 13 of her 17 in the second quarter and Seattle beat Los Angeles.
Seattle (22-14) stayed within one game of fourth place Las Vegas (23-13), which also won Wednesday, in the WNBA standings. The Storm play at Dallas on Friday before returning home for a matchup against the Sparks on Sunday. Los Angeles (7-30) is off until Sunday.
Seattle trailed 39-29 with 3:40 left in the first half before closing on a 11-2 run, with five points from Williams, to tie it at 41-all at the break. Williams scored 15 points in the first half and Nneka Ogwumike added 10.
Seattle had its lead trimmed to 75-74 with 4:19 remaining on a Rae Burrell basket, but the Sparks did not make another field goal until Rickea Jackson’s layup with 27.1 left.
Williams responded with two free throws at the other end with 25.6 left to regain an eight-point lead.
Ogwumike added 16 points and eight rebounds for Seattle. Ogwumike moved into 11th place on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list, moving past Sylvia Fowles (6,415).
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