McCowan makes late go-ahead layup, Wings beat Aces 82-80

Updated Aug. 4, 2022 10:30 p.m. ET
Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Teaira McCowan made a go-ahead layup with 11.4 seconds left to help the Dallas Wings beat the Las Vegas Aces 82-80 on Thursday night.

Kelsey Plum sank a 3-pointer with 1:11 left to pull Las Vegas to 80-78 and after a Dallas miss, Chelsea Gray made a jumper from the free-throw line to tie it at 80. Dallas guard Tyasha Harris dribbled down the clock before driving into the lane and finding a wide open McCowan under the basket with 11.4 seconds remaining.

Las Vegas struggled to get into its offense and called a timeout with 3.8 seconds to go. Then Gray found a wide open A’ja Wilson in the paint, but her layup rolled off the rim as time expired.

McCowan finished with 21 points and a season-high 16 rebounds for Dallas (15-16), which was without leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale for a second straight game. Marina Mabrey and Harris each scored 15 points.

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Dallas had its lead cut to 64-58 entering the fourth quarter after Las Vegas ended the third on a 10-2 run. But the Wings scored the first eight points of the fourth to regain a double-digit lead.

Gray made five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 28 points for Las Vegas (22-10), which lost consecutive games for just the third time this season. Jackie Young scored 19 points, Plum had 15 points and seven assists, and Wilson had 12 points and nine rebounds.

Players from Las Vegas and Dallas locked arms before the game to honor Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison earlier in the day. Griner, a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and a eight-time WNBA all-star, was convicted of drug possession and smuggling.

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More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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