LAS VEGAS — A'ja Wilson recalled the raised eyebrows when the Las Vegas Aces drafted Jackie Young with the No. 1 pick in 2019. In the years since, she's reminded Young she has to prove herself as a rightful No. 1 pick every single night.
Oct 8, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young dribbles the ball up court against the New York Liberty in the second half during game one of the 2023 WNBA Finals at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports - 21605210LAS VEGAS — A’ja Wilson recalled the raised eyebrows when the Las Vegas Aces drafted Jackie Young with the No. 1 pick in 2019. In the years since, she’s reminded Young she has to prove herself as a rightful No.
The Aces, a homegrown super-team of three No. 1 picks, kept it close in the first half in a performance Hammon said was a C-. The players gave it a D, she said. But it was Young who had them down only three, 49-46. She was 3-of-4 from the 3-point line for 12 points, trailing Plum’s team-leading 14. Hammon said she wanted Young in “Baby ’Bron mode,” fitting since LeBron James was one of the celebrities in attendance.
Young stole the ball from Betnijah Laney on the end line and brought it up court where she was met by 6-foot-6 Liberty center Jonquel Jones at the arc. She passed to Gray, cut past a turning Jones to the basket, and delivered an easy layup for her final points of the game. New York took a timeout trailing 78-65, but was never able to cut too far into the deficit and trailed by as many as 22 points as the Aces guards torched the Liberty defense.
Heading into Game 1, she said she focused on being aggressive and confident. Young is notoriously shy, a jarring contrast to her jokester teammates who take every opportunity in news conferences to send jabs. Wilson, the No. 1 pick out of South Carolina the year prior to Young’s draft, said she makes sure she pulls confidence out of Young because of that shyness.
“When I came into this team, I said, ‘You’re the silent assassin for real,’” Gray said. “She’s a hoop, she’s a dog and I just love she’s a two-way player all the time offensively and defensively. And you need that on your team.” Courtney Vandersloot struggled for much of the game, going 1-of-7 before finishing 4-of-11 for 10 points. Laney had 11 points after a hot playoff run. She came into the game having scored fewer than 19 points only once. Sabrina Ionescu couldn’t find her own 3-point spots and had seven points, shooting 2-of-7 from the field and 1-of-5 from 3.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
WNBA Finals: 'Silent assassin' Jackie Young rises among bevy of top players in Aces' Game 1 winLAS VEGAS — A'ja Wilson recalled the raised eyebrows when the Las Vegas Aces drafted Jackie Young with the No. 1 pick in 2019. In the years since, she's reminded Young she has to prove herself as a rightful No. 1 pick every single night.
Read more »
WNBA Finals: Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum power Aces to Game 1 win over Liberty with huge 4th quarterLAS VEGAS — This matchup was nearly inevitable from the moment these two teams were anointed super-teams in the preseason. The New York Liberty and their offseason signings and acquisitions vs. a defending champion Las Vegas Aces homegrown squad.
Read more »
Young and Plum each score 26 points as Aces dominate Liberty 99-82 in WNBA Finals openerJackie Young and Kelsey Plum each scored 26 points and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces pulled away from the New York Liberty in the second half to win 99-82 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. Las Vegas point guard Chelsea Gray finished with 20 points and nine assists on her 31st birthday, A’ja Wilson had 19 points and eight rebounds. Young made 5 of 8 3-pointers. Five New York players scored in double figures. Breanna Stewart led the Liberty with 21 points, Jonquel Jones totaled 16 points and 1
Read more »
Aces start WNBA Finals against the LibertyThe Las Vegas Aces host the New York Liberty to begin the WNBA Finals. The Liberty went 3-2 against the Aces during the regular season. Las Vegas is 19-1 at home, and New York is 17-3 on the road.
Read more »
Aces, Liberty prepare to meet in ‘inevitable’ WNBA FinalsThe league’s two super teams will face off in a best-of-five series beginning Sunday.
Read more »