A'ja Wilson and Aces overcome slow start in first game against Storm

LAS VEGAS – On the day she was unanimously named WNBA MVP, Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson had a first half to forget: just four points on 1-of-8 shooting.

But of course there was a second half where she was able to flourish, and guard Tiffany Hayes also came off the bench and provided a big boost. The Aces benefited from both on Sunday, beating the Seattle Storm 78-67 in Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round playoff series.

“The basketball gods have a funny way of showing me that sometimes you just have to get out of the mud,” Wilson, now a three-time MVP, said of his slow start and finishing with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. “I love that because it keeps my spirit sharp. My teammates continue to never let me doubt myself. And I do that sometimes… and they always lift me up.”

“In the second half, the game calmed down for me and I started to properly analyze the defense. That's when I really got going.”

Earlier Sunday, Wilson said she was moved to tears as she watched a video of other players who had previously won the league's MVP award three times paying tribute to her: Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and Lauren Jackson, all members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Then WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was on hand at Michelob Ultra Arena to present the 28-year-old Wilson with her third trophy.

Wilson finished third in a very close MVP race last season, and the fact that one voter gave her the fourth-place vote took on epic proportions. Wilson said she wanted to make sure she left no room for doubt this season. And she didn't: She finished the season with the highest scoring average in WNBA history at 26.9 points per game and became the first player to score over 1,000 points in a season.

Seattle, playing without forward/center Ezi Magbegor (concussion), was still able to slow Wilson down early. The Aces made 2 of 18 shots and trailed 18-9 after the first quarter. Then Hayes came alive for Las Vegas.

Wilson did not attempt a field goal in the second quarter, the first quarter this season in which that had happened. But Hayes scored 12 points in the second quarter and finished the game with 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting.

It was a special game for Hayes. Her mother, Dorothy “Jenny” Hayes, arrived on her first flight from Florida. When Hayes played for UConn from 2008 to 2012, her mother lived in Connecticut to be close. Hayes spent her first 10 WNBA seasons with the Atlanta Dream, and Jenny, who was able to relocate with her daughter because of her job as a FedEx driver, lived in Georgia at the time.

Jenny, who admits to being afraid of flying, vowed to come to Las Vegas for her daughter's birthday and the playoffs.

“I want to give a big shout out to my mom,” said Hayes, who turned 35 on Friday. “She was my coach my whole childhood. She had never flown before and now she's flying here. I'm glad she was able to come.”

Hayes played for the Connecticut Sun last season and then decided to retire. However, in May the Aces signed her to return to the league. A starter for most of her career, Hayes has been a substitute in all but five games this year and is a contender for Sixth Player of the Year.

The Aces are two-time defending WNBA champions, but Hayes — who was a member of two NCAA championship teams while at UConn — has yet to win a WNBA title. She hopes to lift the trophy with the Aces, who host Game 2 on Tuesday (ESPN, 9:30 p.m. ET).

“She gets us going. Her energy is always there,” Wilson said of Hayes. “That's our game changer. She's really one of our X-factors.”

Wilson, of course, is the biggest X-factor of all. Even when she struggled on offense on Sunday, her defense was solid. Then Wilson scored 15 points in the third quarter, the most points in a playoff quarter of her career. In the fourth, Wilson helped hold the Storm to just two points.

“The MVP is the MVP,” said Seattle coach Noelle Quinn. “She's the MVP for a reason.”