The Sun had the chance to send the Aces packing, but couldn’t get the job done.
Las Vegas beat Connecticut 84-75 in Game 4. The WNBA semifinal series will need another match to determine who advances to the final round.
And for that, the Aces can thank Angel McCoughtry.
After playing the Sun neck-and-neck after each of the first two quarters, the Aces’ forward took over the game in the third with 16 points. That allowed Vegas to create some separation, take the win and avoid elimination.
McCoughtry finished with a game-high 29 points with six assists, five rebounds and three steals. A’ja Wilson and Danielle Robinson had 18 points each, and Wilson’s 12 rebounds gave her a double-double.
DeWanna Bonner (10 points, 15 rebounds) recorded the 12th postseason double-double of her career. Alyssa Thomas dropped 15 with eight rebounds. Jasmine Thomas led Connecticut’s offense with 26 points and six assists.
Here’s how it all went down:
STARTING FIVE
PG: Jasmine Thomas
SG: Briann January
PF: Alyssa Thomas
SF: DeWanna Bonner
C: Brionna Jones
WE HAVE ANOTHER BATTLE ON OUR HANDS
Bonner got the Sun off on the right foot with a 3-pointer for the first points of the game.
The Aces allowed the Sun to take nine attempts from deep in the first, with Connecticut going 4-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Vegas, meanwhile, had no 3-point attempts in the first. But the quarter remained close thanks to Connecticut’s five turnovers.
Wilson led the Aces effort with a game-high nine points in the quarter, shooting 57.1 percent from the field with all of their starters on the board.
Bonner had eight points in the first for the Sun, and with an Alyssa Thomas bucket, they managed a 24-22 lead entering the second.
CLEAN IT UP
Offense was a bit harder to come by in the second frame, and Vegas outscored Connecticut 15-14 while forcing them down to 39.4 percent shooting from the field.
Wilson had 12 points by halftime, and McCoughtry ramped things up for the Aces with 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal after her usage was significantly increased.
Bonner, meanwhile, recorded a first-half double-double with 10 points and 12 boards.
Jasmine Thomas supported with nine points, three points and two steals. And with an and-1 from Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut managed to hold on to a 38-37 lead.
VEGAS ISN’T READY TO GO HOME
McCoughtry took over in the third. Her 16 points matched the SUn’s scoring in the frame, with the Aces outscoring them 28-16.
McCoughtry led the game with 26 points after the third.
Jasmine Thomas took things into her own hands to finish the quarter with a team-high 16 points for the Sun.
Despite shooting 1-for-7 from deep, the Aces pulled away to a 65-54 lead entering the final frame.
GAME 5 NEEDED
Wilson continued the Aces’ production to open the quarter, while the Suns only got on the board from the free-throw line until Jasmine Thomas hit a triple five minutes into the fourth.
Both teams, however, buckled down on defense for another low scoring quarter.
Vegas led by as many as 15 points, despite shooting 1-for-9 from deep.
And despite outscoring Vegas 21-19 in the final frame, Connecticut could not complete the comeback.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Credit where credit is due, McCoughtry came to play.
UP NEXT
One more game for all the marbles. The Sun and Aces tipoff for Game 5 on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
