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Aces’ A’ja Wilson drops 53 points in win over Dream to match WNBA single-game scoring record

A’ja Wilson led the Aces to a 112-100 win over the Dream on Tuesday night in Atlanta

ryan young
Staff writer
·3 min read
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A’ja Wilson went off on Tuesday night in one of the best outings in WNBA history.

Wilson dropped a career-high 53 points to lead the Las Vegas Aces past the Atlanta Dream 112-100 at the Gateway Center in Georgia. It matched the WNBA’s single-game scoring record and marked only the third 50-point game in league history.

"I don't know what kind of a creature she is, but she runs like a deer, jumps like a cat and catches like if she were Spiderman," Aces head coach Becky Hammon said, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Andy Yamashita. "I don't know exactly what that is, but she is just special."

Wilson shot 16-of-23 from the field and took only one 3-pointer on the night, which she made. She went a near-perfect 20-of-21 from the free-throw line, too.

Wilson got her 50th point on a free throw with just under a minute left in the game. She then made three more the rest of the way to get to 53 on the night.

The reigning league MVP, who led the Aces to their first WNBA title last season, entered Tuesday's game averaging 21.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

"I feel like we're watching a generational talent," Aces guard Kelsey Plum said, via the Las Vegas Sun's Danny Webster. "We've got to stop comparing people and let them be great. This is one of the greatest players of all time, and she's just starting."

Liz Cambage dropped 53 points in a game against the New York Liberty when she was with the Dallas Wings in 2018, which originally set the league’s single-game scoring record. Riquna Williams has the only other 50-point game in WNBA history. She put up 51 with the Tulsa Shock against San Antonio in 2013.

The Aces didn’t take off until the third quarter, when they held Atlanta to just 13 points in the period and scoreless for the final four minutes. That allowed them to push to a 14-point lead at the break, which was their largest of the night at that point. From there, they held on to grab the 12-point win.

A’ja Wilson recorded only the third 50-point outing in WNBA history on Tuesday night.
A’ja Wilson recorded only the third 50-point outing in WNBA history on Tuesday night. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists in the loss. Haley Jones added 23 points off the bench, and Danielle Robinson finished with 17 points. The loss marked Atlanta’s fourth in five games.

Plum added 20 points and seven assists in the win for the Aces. Chelsey Gray finished just shy of a triple-double with 16 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. The Aces shot nearly 51% from the field as a team in what was their fifth win in their past seven games.