Chelsea Gray tied the WNBA single-game record with nine 3-pointers Thursday night, leading the Las Vegas Aces to a 105-89 win over the Portland Fire in Portland, Oregon.
Gray went 9-for-13 from deep and finished with 29 points on 10-for-15 shooting. ESPN reported that she now shares the league mark with four other players, most recently Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard, who reached it twice last season.
Gray Hits Ninth Three Late In Fourth
Gray hit the record-tying 3-pointer with 2:53 left in ESPN's main report; the AP recap listed the sequence at 2:35 left in the fourth quarter, when Las Vegas led 101-86. Either way, the record shot came after the Aces had already turned a competitive game into control.
It was not a volume-only night. Gray made nearly 70% of her 3-point attempts and shot 10-for-15 overall. Portland, by comparison, went 8-for-26 from 3-point range as a team in the AP recap carried by ESPN.
The result was verified on the ESPN WNBA scoreboard as final: Las Vegas 105, Portland 89. The Aces improved to 9-3, while the Fire fell to 6-8.
Aces Win Fifth Straight Behind Wilson
A'ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 32 points, her second straight game with at least 30. She had scored 34 in a win over Seattle earlier in the week.
Jackie Young added 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in the AP recap, giving Las Vegas another route through Portland's pressure. NaLyssa Smith contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Stephanie Talbot grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Aces built a 56-50 halftime lead after all four of Wilson, Gray, Smith and Young reached double figures before the break. Gray made six 3-pointers in the first half alone.
Fire Press Tests Las Vegas Early
Portland, in its inaugural WNBA season, leaned on a full-court press that bothered Las Vegas early. ESPN reported that the Fire had a 32-4 advantage in paint scoring midway through the second quarter.
Las Vegas adjusted, and Wilson scored 14 of the Aces' first 16 points after halftime to push the lead to 72-60. The Aces opened the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run and never let the record chase turn into a late escape act.
Carla Leite led Portland with 18 points, Megan Gustafson added 17, Sarah Ashlee Barker scored 14 and Bridget Carleton had 13. The Fire had enough resistance to make the game useful; Gray had enough shooting to make it historic.