Aces beat Valkyries with help of MVP’s dominant first half

As A’ja Wilson backpedaled on defense after hitting a pullup midrange shot Saturday, she calmly stretched her neck to the side like a master settling back into their field of expertise.

It was Wilson’s first bucket of the afternoon, which started a solo run of seven straight points for the Aces in their 104-102 win over the Golden State Valkyries at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Showcasing why she’s the reigning WNBA MVP, Wilson went on to dominate with 25 points in the first half. She finished with 34 points and 16 rebounds in her comeback from a right wrist sprain.

Guard Jackie Young took over in the third quarter until the end. She scored 30 points, including the Aces’ final 10 points as they held on for the victory.

Wilson was listed as questionable on the Aces’ injury report entering the matchup after going down hard in a loss at the New York Liberty on Tuesday. The injury was diagnosed by an MRI and kept her out of the Aces’ 70-68 loss at the Washington Mystics on Thursday.

Wilson credited the Aces medical staff for putting her in the position to return so quickly.

“It’s very hard for me to sit out games, very hard for me to follow directions because I want to be out there with my team,” Wilson said after the win. “I’m going to continue to play through it because they’re going to make sure that I’m ready and I’m comfortable.”

There have now been only four double-doubles with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds recorded in the WNBA this season, and all but one belongs to Wilson. Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier logged the other one.

With 19, Wilson has also recorded the most double-doubles with 30-plus points in league history, followed by Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart’s 15 each.

Young stars in ‘gut check’

The Aces entered the final quarter with a 76-72 lead after guard Jewell Loyd exploded to score all of her 15 points in the third.

Young, who was just as impactful in the third with 13 points, was tested the most in the fourth quarter.

The Valkyries tied the score at 94-all with 1:49 left to play, and Young answered with back-to-back buckets to put the Aces back ahead.

Unable to score, the Valkyries sent Young to the free-throw line with 20 seconds left. She made both of her shots and Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes assisted Cecilia Zandalasini for a 3-pointer to cut the Aces’ lead to three points.

The Valkyries fouled Young again in hopes of getting the ball back, but she was good from the charity stripe once more. Hayes made a 3-pointer of her own with 7 seconds left, then Young was sent to the line again. She ended the game a flawless 11 of 11 on free throws.

“We were able to close (out) tonight,” Young said. “Just making good decisions down the stretch and just being smart with the ball. We knew they were going to foul.”

Aces coach Becky Hammon lauded Young and the entire team’s composure in crunch time.

“It was a little bit of a gut check. We’ve been losing those close ones, and you don’t see (the Valkyries) getting blown out. So it was big for us to execute like that down the stretch,” Hammon said. “Jackie just made big free throws after big free throws. Those are hard to make, especially when the other team’s making 3s and you’re only making two free throws. Every time that score inches a little bit closer, there’s a lot more pressure.”

Avoiding embarrassment at home

The game was filled with reminders of the past for the Aces.

Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase was an Aces assistant in their 2022 and 2023 championship seasons. When she departed in the offseason, she snagged beloved Aces’ rookie Kate Martin in the expansion draft and Hayes in free agency.

Hayes, the 2024 Sixth Player of the Year with the Aces, had 16 points for the Valkyries and Martin had eight points off the bench.

The Aces played a heartfelt tribute video for Nakase and acknowledged the returning players during warmups. When the ball was tipped, however, Wilson and Young said all the team was thinking about was their first meeting with the Valkyries — a 95-68 rout of the Aces on June 7 in San Francisco.

“It’s always important to win our home games,” Young said. “And we know what happened last time we played the Valkyries there.”

Wilson, calling the matchup a “little personal,” said that while the Valkyries deserve credit for how hard they play, the Aces essentially were the ones to embarrass themselves in the last matchup.

“We didn’t want to be embarrassed on our own court,” she said.

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.