Jackie Young's Career-High 35 Powers Aces Past Storm in 114-77 Rout

Photo Credit: Ryan Hampton

A Career Night Turns Into a Statement Win

There was no drama to be found at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday night. Jackie Young torched the Storm for a career-high 35 points, A'ja Wilson added an efficient 29 of her own, and the Las Vegas Aces cruised to a 114-77 win over Seattle that was decisive from the opening tip and never once in doubt.

Game Flow Recap: A Lead That Only Grew

Las Vegas set the tone immediately, taking the first quarter 25-13 and never allowing Seattle back into the game. The Storm actually held their own in the second and third quarters, being outscored by manageable six and four-point margins, but any hope of a real comeback was extinguished in the fourth, when the Aces closed the game on a 29-14 run to turn a comfortable lead into a rout. By the midpoint of the third quarter, Young alone had already scored 31 points on a scorching 11-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three — numbers that made clear this wasn't going to be a competitive finish.

Star Performer: Young Sets a New Career Mark

Jackie Young's 35-point night was the headline of the evening, built on efficient shooting from all three levels — she finished 4-of-10 from beyond the arc and added 5 assists to round out a complete offensive performance. A'ja Wilson was nearly as dominant in a quieter way, going 9-of-13 from the field for 29 points and 7 rebounds, giving Las Vegas a nearly unguardable one-two combination for the full 40 minutes.

Seattle got a strong individual effort from Flau'jae Johnson, who scored 25 points on 9-of-21 shooting, and Natisha Hiedeman chipped in 12 points and a team-high 7 assists. But with the Aces' stars playing at that level, no combination of Storm scoring was ever going to be enough.

Turning Point: A Fourth Quarter That Erased Any Doubt

Seattle's competitive stretches in the second and third quarters offered a glimmer of hope that this could stay a game, but Las Vegas slammed the door in the fourth, outscoring the Storm 29-14 to turn a manageable deficit into a 37-point final margin. It was the kind of quarter that reflects a team simply operating on a different level, and it left no question about which side controlled the night.

What It Means: A Reminder of the Gap at the Top

For Las Vegas, this was as complete a performance as a team can turn in — two stars combining for 64 points on efficient shooting, with the kind of fourth-quarter surge that separates championship-caliber teams from the rest of the league. For Seattle, the individual efforts from Johnson and Hiedeman offer something to build on, but the final score is a clear reminder of the gap that remains between this Storm roster and the league's elite. Both teams will look ahead to how this result shapes the stretch run of the season.