A’ja Wilson-Aliyah Boston battle takes center stage in Game 5
The stage is set for a battle in the paint between Aces star A’ja Wilson and Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston in Game 5 of their semifinal series with a trip to the WNBA Finals at stake.
But the Aces will need to give their MVP center help defensively to reach their third finals in four years when the teams meet Tuesday night at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Boston and guard Kelsey Mitchell combined to power the No. 6 seed Fever to a 90-83 win over the No. 2 Aces on Sunday to avoid elimination.
A postseason-high 24 points and 14 rebounds from Boston was the difference for Indiana, while Mitchell finished with 25 points to the soundtrack of “MVP” chants on her home court.
As the league’s actual MVP, crowned recently for an unprecedented fourth time, Wilson scored 31 points while being primarily guarded by Boston in another bounce-back performance from her second outing in the series with fewer than 20 points.
Following Sunday’s loss, Wilson offered some words regarding the matchup with Boston that quickly circulated around the women’s basketball world.
“You have to ask Aliyah that question,” Wilson said when asked about what worked so well for Boston in Game 4. “But Aliyah did say I have a special whistle. She shot 13 (free throws) today … so we’ve just got to play better defense. Make her looks a little difficult and kind of go from there.”
Wilson clarified that Boston made the comment as trash talk during the Aces’ 84-72 Game 3 win Friday, presumably a reference to
Wilson having led the league in free-throw attempts per game (7.3) in the regular season.
Taking center stage
It was a glimpse into an intense competition between Wilson and Boston, two University of South Carolina products who led the Gamecocks to NCAA titles during their separate tenures, then entered the WNBA as No. 1 overall picks.
The matchup has pulled the best out of Boston and tested Wilson, with Boston admitting that she’s made it her mission to get under Wilson’s skin.
“(I’m) just trying to kind of be annoying a little bit, because A’ja is a pretty great player,” Boston said in a broadcast interview during Game 1. “Just trying to make sure my presence is felt.”
Still, Sunday marked Wilson’s 17th 30-point playoff game and put her one such performance away from the league record shared by Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart. Wilson also became the seventh player in league history to hit the 1,000-point mark in her playoff career with 1,024.
But Boston is also making an impact, joining former Fever guard Tamika Catchings on Sunday as the only players in franchise history with a 20-point, 10-rebound and five-assist playoff game.
Officiating aside
Although Wilson and Aces coach Becky Hammon lamented the officiating following Sunday’s loss, they agreed it wasn’t the largest issue. And the Aces can’t afford for it to be the focus in Game 5.
“We’re better when we play out of our defense,” Hammon said. “We didn’t get a lot of stops. They shot a lot of free throws. We didn’t. That all affects the flow of the game, but it was us on the defensive end.”
The Aces shot 11 free throws to the Fever’s 34. Boston had 11 attempts in the third quarter alone.
Wilson burst into a shocked “Oh, my God” when told that reserve center Megan Gustafson had four fouls in only 15 minutes.
“That’s interesting,” Wilson said. “But we’ll do better. We’ve got to play better defense.”
Guards Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray were both called for five fouls. Gray also had five turnovers to her nine assists and emphasized Wilson’s sentiment that defensive preparation will be the top priority.
“Defensively, we got to be a lot better as guards and (with) our pickup points,” Gray said. “In helping rebound, I’ve got to be better. I can’t have so many turnovers and let them go out and transition.”
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.