By Donovan Hicks Las Vegas Review-Journal

July 11, 2026 - 5:28 pm

The Las Vegas rookies and the veterans both showed up to play on Saturday.

A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray each recorded a double-double, while Justine Pissott scored 19 points in her WNBA debut as the Aces rolled to a 106-58 victory over the Phoenix Mercury at Michelob Ultra Arena.

The score marked the largest margin of victory in Aces history. It was also their eighth win in their last 11 games with the Mercury, improving to 21-3 against Phoenix under coach Becky Hammon.

Wilson finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds after recording 16 points and 10 boards in the opening 11 minutes.

Gray added 15 points and 11 assists for the 23rd career double-double despite sitting out the fourth quarter.

For all their heroics, the talk of the team was Pissott, who just joined the team late this week. She scored all of her points in 10 fourth-quarter minutes, knocking down five 3-pointers. She finished as the Aces’ second-leading scorer.

“That was quite the debut,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “I just met (Pissott), but you know I love my shooters and she can shoot that thing.

“She made some nice basketball reads as well, not just the shooting, so we’re really excited to have her as a part of our group.”

Las Vegas seized control early, outscoring Phoenix 29-9 in the first quarter before taking a 57-22 lead into halftime. The 22 first-half points were the fewest the Aces have allowed in an opening half this season.

The Aces shot 56 percent from the field and 54 percent from 3-point range in the first half, building a season-high 39-point lead and never looked back.

“Going into Portland, I can’t remember a practice that we played offense,” Wilson said. “(Hammon) drilled defense into our heads and we needed that.”

“We need to continue to do this and build off of this. This was a good showing for us, but we could still do a little bit better. We want to be on the other side of the basketball, but we can’t even get to the other side of the basketball properly if we don’t handle the things we need to do defensively.”

Mercury guard Kahleah Copper, who entered the game averaging a team-high 20.8 points, was held to nine points on 4-of-14 shooting.

Phoenix was led by Monique Akoa Makani’s 13 points, while the Mercury shot 35 percent from the field. They were held to 23 percent on 3-pointers, making seven of their 31 attempts.

Las Vegas forced 18 turnovers, converting them into 24 points, while also dominating in the paint with a 42-point effort.

“I think we need to go back and look at the things that worked out well for us on the defensive end when it comes to communication and just being on a string,” Wilson said. “We can’t get too high and we can’t get too low.

“Obviously this is a historic win for us but we have to turn a page and really get things moving for us.”

The Aces get little time to savor the victory. They wrap up their back-to-back homestand Sunday against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.

The teams last met last Sunday at T-Mobile Arena, where Indiana earned the victory in a game that featured neither Clark nor A’ja Wilson because of injuries.

Up next

Who: Aces vs. Indiana Fever

When: 6 p.m. Sunday

Where: Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas

TV: NBC

Streaming: Peacock