Las Vegas Aces star center A’Ja Wilson put up a historic statline in the team’s 95-81 win over the Dallas Wings on Wednesday.
Wilson finished with 36 points, 12 rebounds and six steals, becoming the first player in WNBA history to have at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals in a game, according to ESPN.
She is also only the second player in WNBA history to record multiple games of at least 36 points and 12 boards, after New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart.
“I just take what the defense gives me and just the flow of the game,” Wilson said afterwards, per ESPN. “My teammates really just kept me afloat.”
After her record-breaking performance, Wilson now leads the WNBA in points (27.9) per game, is second in rebounds (12.4) and blocks (2.6) per game and sits sixth in steals (2.0) per game.
The dominant outing began from tip-off, with Wilson scoring 14 points in the opening quarter, almost equaling the Wings’ total by herself.
Dallas rallied in the second quarter to tighten the scoreline to 47-42 at halftime, but 10 further points from Wilson and eight from Jackie Young in the third helped the Aces build a formidable 14-point advantage heading into the fourth.
It was more of the same in the final 10 minutes, as Las Vegas scored the first five points of the quarter, while two-time WNBA MVP Wilson continued to stuff the stat sheet.
After the game, Aces head coach Becky Hammon was clear and to the point in praise of her star.
“Do we have to pound that point? I mean, she’s the best in the world,” Hammon told reporters, per ESPN.
The Aces improved to 5-2 on the season and got their Commissioner’s Cup campaign – the WNBA’s in-season tournament – off to a roaring start.
Las Vegas is the two-time defending champion and is seeking to become just the second team in league history to win three titles in a row – the Houston Comets won four in a row in the WNBA’s first four seasons between 1997 and 2000 with Cynthia Cooper winning Finals MVP in all four years.
