Arlington, TX – The Dallas Wings wrapped up the home portion of their regular season schedule with a 107-102 victory vs the Las Vegas Aces, securing a spot in the 2018 WNBA Playoffs.
The Wings and the Aces battled in the paint in the first quarter, scoring a combined 22 points inside. The Aces outpaced the Wings by a 27-21 margin after one.
Both offenses awoke and scored 30 points in the second quarter, leading to a continued six-point lead for Las Vegas at half, 57-51. Liz Cambage achieved her 18th game of 20 points or more by the break, leading the charge for Dallas with 23 and seven rebounds.
The battle for a playoff spot heated up in the third. Quick threes by Allisha Gray and Azurá Stevens sparked a 10-4 run that tied the game, 61-61. The back-and-forth battle continued through the quarter, with Dallas narrowly leading 83-81 after three. The Wings were paced by Cambage, who had 31 headed to the fourth.
A fourth-quarter three by Cambage immediately followed by a break-away layup from Kayla Thornton gave Dallas a 94-88 advantage with 5:52 to go, prompting a Las Vegas timeout. The Wings did not relinquish the lead, finishing with a 107-102 win that secured the eighth and final playoff spot.
Cambage led all scorers with 43 points to go with 13 rebounds. The 43 scored is her highest total since she recorded a WNBA-record 53 vs New York on July 17.
Cambage is the first player in franchise history to record a 700-point season.
Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 23 for Dallas, while dishing out eight assists en route to the win. Glory Johnson scored 11 points and pulled down seven boards, and Kayla Thornton added 10.
A’ja Wilson led five Aces in double figures with 34 points.
The Wings will finish the regular season on the road in Seattle against the Storm on August 19. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT.
