WNBA Recap: A'ja Wilson Establishes Single-Season Rebound Milestone, New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx Secure Playoff Top Spots
Wilson's stellar performance boosted her tally to an astounding 456 rebounds for the season, surpassing the previous record held by Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, who was sidelined due to a season-ending wrist injury.
The Aces' towering center broke the single-season scoring record last week and went on to make history by scoring 1,000 points in a season on Sunday.
Although she set yet another record on Tuesday night, Wilson displayed an indifferent attitude towards the achievement.
"That's neat," she remarked post-game, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I'm 6-foot-4 and I'm in the vicinity of the basket. I'd love to snag a few rebounds for my team. But when it boils down to simply rebounding to get them, I'm not fixated on that. I'm focused on chucking the ball into the hoop."
The achievement propels Wilson and her team to the fourth seed in the playoffs, but the Aces have a chance to secure the third spot on Thursday, the last day of the regular season, if the Sky lose to the Connecticut Sun and the Aces defeat the Dallas Wings.
"Our finest basketball is still ahead of us, and we're also aware that we're starting to gel," Aces coach Becky Hammon stated, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "Ask me three weeks ago, and I wasn't enthused about us. Today, I feel quite good about where we stand as a basketball team."
The Aces aim to join the elite group of WNBA teams to achieve a three-peat this season; the Houston Comets won the first four titles in league history from 1997 to 2000.
Liberty and Lynx Clinch Top Seeds
In another thrilling match, the Minnesota Lynx clinched the No. 2 seed in a nail-biting encounter. Bridget Carleton's dramatic three-pointer with 4.6 seconds left sealed a tense 78-76 win over the Connecticut Sun, who were the only team that could have challenged them for the top spot.
The fourth quarter saw an intense battle, with the Sun taking the lead following a late rally. However, the last two minutes and 25 seconds were marked by eight lead changes, culminating in Carleton's game-winning shot.
Napheesa Collier led the Lynx with a stellar 25 points, while Kayla McBride and Carleton contributed 14 and 13 points respectively. The Sun had four players with double-digit scores, with Alyssa Thomas leading the way with 18 points.
The Lynx are currently on a roll, having won seven consecutive games and going 13-1 since the Olympic break. This marks the first time the franchise has managed to win 30 games in a single season.
In the Eastern Conference, the New York Liberty clinched the No. 1 overall seed with a comfortable 87-71 victory over the Washington Mystics. Breanna Stewart was instrumental, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
The Mystics struggled to keep up, committing 16 turnovers and never holding the lead after Stewart's layup with 8:15 left in the first quarter.
WNBA Scores from Tuesday Night
Away Team @ Home Team (Winners in Bold)
Minnesota Lynx 78-76 Connecticut Sun
New York Liberty 87-71 Washington Mystics
Chicago Sky 70-86 Atlanta Dream
Las Vegas Aces 85-72 Seattle Storm
Phoenix Mercury 85-81 Los Angeles Sparks
Wilson's focus on scoring rather than rebounding might affect her potential to break the all-time rebound record in the sport.
Sporting a 13-1 record since the Olympic break, the Minnesota Lynx are attempting to set a new franchise record for wins in a single season.
