Jessica Shepard's triple-double helps Wings rally past Aces

Jessica Shepard racked up 22 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists and was crucial in the second half as the Dallas Wings rallied for a 95-87 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday in Arlington, Texas.

The Aces led by eight points at halftime before Dallas (5-3) used an 13-5 run over the final 3:47 of the third period to pull even at 72 heading to the fourth quarter. The Wings built an 87-81 lead with 3:31 to play when Shepard fed Awak Kuier for a layup. Then Kuier and Paige Bueckers canned back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a 12-point game with 1:59 left.

Vegas made a final push, trimming its deficit 93-87 on a 3-pointer by Jewell Loyd, a layup by A’ja Wilson and a free throw from NaLyssa Smith. But Dallas got a pair of free throws from Alysha Clark with 21 seconds remaining and held on to win its fourth game in its past five outings.

It was Shepard’s second triple-double of the season, as she set a career high in rebounds and tied her personal mark in scoring. Azzi Fudd also scored 22 points for Dallas while Bueckers added 20 and Kuier hit for 12 off the bench.

Wilson led the Aces (4-3) with 21 points, with Jackie Young scoring 15 and Chennedy Carter tallying 14 points. Smith took 12 rebounds for Vegas, which lost for the first time on the road this season.

Las Vegas led 26-21 at the end of a close first quarter and expanded the margin to nine points after Cheynne Parker-Tyus’s layup at the 7:44 mark of the second period. The Wings closed to within 40-36 on two free throws by Shepard but Vegas swung back, as back-to-back 3-pointers by Young and Carter pushed the Aces’ edge to 48-36 with 3:40 left in the half.

Dallas pared its deficit to 53-45 at the break when Bueckers canned a late 3-pointer. Carter’s 12 points off the bench paced all scorers while Bueckers led the Wings with 11. Las Vegas got 23 of its first-half points from its bench players.

Dallas made some headway in the third quarter, drawing within five points on Bueckers’ free throw with 5:44 left in the period before Wilson answered with a turnaround jumper on the ensuing possession. Fudd’s jumper off a Shepard offensive rebound with 3:01 left allowed the Wings to close to 67-65.

–Field Level Media