But the Aces’ defense eventually held firm, thwarting the DeWanna Bonners’ desperate attempt to level the game with a three-pointer as time ran out.
“That comes from being swept and actually getting one,” Wilson said, according to Sky Sports. “I’m pretty happy about it. I won’t go into that as long as we have a really tough Game 2 ahead of us.”
In front of a record crowd of 10,135, Las Vegas started brilliantly, building an eight-point lead by the end of the first quarter.
Connecticut, however, showed no signs of fatigue after their five-game semifinals win over defending champions Chicago, and staged a comeback in the second quarter to end the half four points clear while the Aces shot just 3 for 15.
“Oh, I was fired up,” said Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon, recalling their halftime call after her side lost a lead, according to ESPN. “Because of everything we talked about, we didn’t do any of it. And true to form, they just show up and then do it.
“I don’t even scream in my real life. But when you think so hard about how you need to play a certain way… and you’re not executing it, it’s frustrating. But at the end of the day they know. you are smart You understand.”
In response, the Aces beat Connecticut 13-3 in the third quarter to regain control of the game but carried a narrow two-point lead into the crucial fourth quarter.
Gray then opened the scoring with a stunning 17-foot pullup jump shot to put her team four points clear with eight and a half minutes left and continued the point guard’s notable postseason in which she averaged 24 points per game and served as the distributor for the Aces with a support percentage of 41.4.
Despite a late-night upset from Connecticut, Las Vegas was able to maintain its 1-0 lead in the playoff series and move a game closer to the WNBA title.
Game 2 takes place on Wednesday where the Sun will attempt to pick up its deficit.
“I mean after this game we have to have a lot of confidence,” said Thomas, who won with 19 points for the sun. “It’s a three-point game and we had a chance of a draw.
“There are some things we can clean up. Of course we can shoot more, but overall we played a tough game.”