LAS VEGAS -- A'ja Wilson made almost every big shot the Las Vegas Aces needed in their 74-73, series-clinching victory against the Seattle Storm on Thursday. But on one of the shots she missed, teammate Jackie Young was in the right place at the right time.
With the Aces trailing by one with 15.1 seconds left, Wilson's face-up jump shot bounced off the rim, but Young read it perfectly. She jumped to grab the rebound and shot it before landing, which was the difference with 12.4 seconds left.
Young said she knew she couldn't come back down with the ball before shooting it because she was surrounded by taller Seattle players and felt sure they would block it. She had to do it in a continuous motion, the kind of play Young has done since her high school days in Indiana and college career at Notre Dame.
Wilson tied her career playoff high with 38 points in the victory, which sent No. 2 seed Las Vegas to the WNBA semifinals, where it will face the No. 6 Indiana Fever. Game 1 is in Las Vegas on Sunday (ABC, 3 p.m. ET).
"We've been harping about crashing the boards, and Jack was right on time with that one," Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said of Young, who finished with 14 points. "Jackie is a basketball player. She knows how to make plays, how to move without the ball. She knows how to make things happen."
After the Aces crushed Seattle 102-77 in the best-of-three series opener here Sunday, few expected there would be a Game 3. But the Storm extended the series with an 86-83 victory in Seattle on Tuesday that ended the Aces' 17-game winning streak.
On Thursday, the Storm fell just short of ending the Aces' season. Seattle guard Erica Wheeler had an open look at the free throw line with 5 seconds left that hit the back of the rim. Storm guard Skylar Diggins scrambled for the rebound and passed to teammate Gabby Williams, who couldn't get a shot up before the buzzer.
A game that had just two lead changes in the first 38 minutes, 45 seconds had four of them in the final 75 seconds. The frantic ending prompted a loud celebration at Michelob Ultra Arena. But as Wilson said, the work is far from over. The Aces advanced to the WNBA semifinals for the seventh consecutive season and are seeking their third league championship.
"It's just going to come down to us playing our way and the right way," Wilson said.
The Aces didn't do that often enough earlier this season. They were 14-14 on Aug. 2, but then didn't lose again until Tuesday. Las Vegas faced Indiana once in June, a victory, and then twice in July, both losses.
"They haven't seen the real Aces yet. They caught us when we were a bit in turmoil," Hammon said, referring to the Aces' 81-54 loss to the Fever on July 3. "They whooped us one of those [games]. I know everybody's super excited about tonight -- which I am, too -- but I gotta get our hard hats on and get these guys prepped and ready for what's coming next."