Aces Win 1st WNBA Championship in LV History After Beating Sun; Chelsea Gray Wins MVP

The Las Vegas Aces have won their first WNBA championship in franchise history, defeating the Connecticut Sun 78-71 in Sunday's Game 4 to close out the best-of-five series 3-1 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Aces used a balanced effort to secure the first professional sports title for the city of Las Vegas. Chelsea Gray led the team with 20 points and was named WNBA Finals MVP. She averaged 18.3 points and 6.0 assists during the series.

Riquna Williams added 17 points off the bench, connecting on five of nine three-pointers. Kelsey Plum chipped in 15 points while Jackie Young had 13.

Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson struggled with her shot, scoring 11 points on 4-of-13 from the field. But she played all 40 minutes and added 14 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

After a disappointing loss in Game 3, the Aces opened the game with a ton of energy and quickly took a 10-point lead in the first quarter. But the Sun would not go down quietly on their home floor, cutting into the deficit before the period ended.

Connecticut briefly took the lead in the third quarter, but it was short-lived. Courtney Williams, who finished with a team-high 17 points, did her best to keep the Sun in the game, but it wasn't easy to keep up with Vegas' balanced attack.

The Aces began to pull away in the fourth quarter before the Sun stormed back and took the lead on a jumper by Courtney Williams. But Riquna Williams scored the next eight points for Las Vegas to put the game away.

Jonquel Jones added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Sun. DeWanna Bonner added 12 points and eight rebounds, and Alyssa Thomas had a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

Sunday's win wraps up a banner season for the Aces. The team finished as the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs with a 26-10 regular-season record and a win in the Commissioner's Cup. WNBA legend Becky Hammon now has her first championship ring, becoming the only head coach in league history to win a WNBA title in her first season.

In the end, it was a storybook conclusion to the 2022 season for the Las Vegas Aces.