WNBA: Minnesota Lynx at Las Vegas Aces - Source: Imagn — Minnesota Lynx vs Las Vegas Aces player stats and box scores on Aug. 21 [photo: Imagn]

Minnesota Lynx vs Las Vegas Aces Player Stats and Box Scores for August 21 | 2024 WNBA Season

Modified Aug 22, 2024 09:11 GMT

The Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces began a home-and-away regular season series on Wednesday. Minnesota, which won 100-86 in mid-June, took a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head battle with a 98-87 victory. Napheesa Collier and guard Courtney Williams combined for 45 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists to walk away from Las Vegas with the W.

The host Aces had a different outcome in mind but could not get past the visitors. Las Vegas kept the game close but the Lynx showed superb poise and execution to take the series lead.

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Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum led the Aces with 46 combined points while A'ja Wilson added 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Both teams will meet again in Minnesota on Friday.

Minnesota Lynx vs Las Vegas Aces player stats and box scores

Minnesota Lynx player stats and box scores

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
B. Carleton	12	4	2	0	0	1	4-5	2-2	2-3	+14
A. Smith	10	4	3	1	2	2	4-7	2-4	0-0	+9
N. Collier	23	7	4	1	1	0	9-15	2-4	3-3	+15
K. McBride	11	0	4	0	0	2	3-7	1-4	4-4	+14
C. Williams	22	7	10	1	0	1	10-16	2-2	0-0	+19
M. Hines-Allen	8	4	2	1	0	0	3-5	0-1	2-4	+1
C. Zandalasini	8	0	0	0	0	2	3-3	2-2	0-0	-7
D. Juhasz	0	4	0	0	0	1	0-1	0-0	0-0	-3
D. Miller	2	0	0	0	0	0	1-2	0-0	0-0	+1
N. Hiedeman	2	1	3	0	0	1	1-3	0-0	0-0	-8
A. Pili	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Las Vegas Aces player stats and box scores

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
K. Stokes	0	0	0	0	0	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	-14
A. Wilson	15	9	6	2	0	0	7-14	0-1	1-2	-7
C. Gray	3	1	5	3	2	2	1-7	1-4	0-0	-16
K. Plum	20	5	2	0	0	4	9-16	2-7	0-0	-6
J. Young	26	6	4	0	0	1	7-15	6-8	6-6	-8
A. Clark	8	4	1	0	0	1	3-4	2-3	0-0	-1
M. Gustasfson	3	1	0	0	0	0	1-3	1-3	0-0	-5
S. Colson	0	2	1	1	0	0	0-2	0-2	0-0	-8
T. Hayes	12	0	3	1	0	0	5-10	1-2	1-4	+10
K. Martin	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
K. Bell	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Minnesota Lynx vs Las Vegas Aces Game Summary

Behind Bridget Carleton and Napheesa Collier, the Minnesota Lynx had a superb opening against the Las Vegas Aces. The two pushed the visitors to a 20-13 advantage with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter.

Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, however, helped the defending champs to a strong finishing kick. They conspired to cut the deficit and ended the period trailing by just 26-25.

The first five minutes of the second quarter featured the same seesaw battle until the Lynx began to pull away. Courtney Williams' 20-foot pull-up jumper gave Minnesota a 43-33 advantage. But, like in the opening quarter, the Aces kept their opponents in striking distance. A'ja Wilson, with some help from Young, cut the deficit to 50-46 with 46.1 remaining in the first half.

Napheesa Collier's 3-pointer and Myisha Hines-Allen's free throw eventually settled the score at 54-46 for the Lynx heading into the break.

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The Minnesota Lynx and the Las Vegas Aces stayed on the same theme in the third quarter. Minnesota wanted to break the game open but Las Vegas stubbornly kept in step. Alanna Smith's 3-pointer with 3:28 pushed the Lynx's lead to 71-61, but Jackie Young continued to make timely hits for the Aces to trail 78-67 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Aces made one desperate push to open the final frame, closing to 80-74 but the Lynx responded. Napheesa Collier's 24-foot triple extended the lead to 91-76, the biggest in the game.

Young's floater brought the Las Vegas Aces to within 93-85 before Courtney Williams answered with a triple. The Minnesota Lynx eventually held on for a 98-87 win.