Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson made WNBA history on Wednesday night.
Wilson officially broke the league’s single-season scoring record early in her 86-75 victory over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. Wilson was just 11 points away from the record early in the evening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and it didn’t take her long to reach it.
After the Aces fell behind 7-0 early, Wilson made four straight baskets from the three-point line to get them back in the game in the first quarter. She then hit two free throws to tie the record before the end of the quarter. Then, just before halftime, Wilson hit another shot from the free throw line, reaching 941 points on the season and setting the new record.
Wilson came into the locker room with 12 points, giving the Aces a nine-point lead at halftime. She finished the game with 27 points, hitting 11 of 28 shots and adding 12 rebounds in the 11-point win. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 24 points, and Clark finished the game with 16 points and six assists after hitting 1 of 10 three-point shots.
With that basket, Wilson passed Seattle Storm All-Star Jewel Lloyd for the most points ever scored in a single WNBA season. Lloyd set the record last season with 939 points in 38 games. Wilson surpassed Lloyd’s total on Wednesday night in her 35th game of the season. After Wednesday’s game against the Fever, the Aces have four games left in the regular season.
Wilson, a two-time MVP, is the odds-on favorite to win her third MVP title as the regular season nears its end. She entered Wednesday’s game averaging career-highs of 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 52.7%.
She is also on pace to break the WNBA record for most rebounds in a season, set earlier this season by Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese. Reese announced on Sept. 7 that she suffered a season-ending wrist injury and will not add to her record of 446 rebounds. Wilson now has 418 rebounds this season.
With their win, the Aces are now 23-13. They are now seven games behind the first-place Minnesota Lynx and fourth in the league standings in search of a third consecutive WNBA title. The Fever, now at 19-18, have secured a playoff spot for the first time since 2016. They are sixth in the standings and are likely too far back to overtake the fifth-place Seattle Storm before the end of the year.
