Jackie Young and Aja Wilson sets the tone against the Sparks

The Las Vegas Aces, led by A'ja Wilson's 35 points and 13 rebounds, secured a 96-81 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night, rebounding from a 20-point loss earlier in the week. Wilson, who also contributed six assists, delivered her highest-scoring game since a 41-point performance on September 1 at Phoenix. Jackie Young added 26 points, and Chelsea Gray contributed 15 to help the Aces improve to 3-2.

The Sparks, struggling with a 2-5 record, were led by Kelsey Plum's 17 points, with Odyssey Sims scoring 15 and former Aces player Dearica Hamby adding 14. Both Plum and Sparks coach Lynne Roberts received technical fouls for arguing with officials.

The Aces, seen as WNBA title contenders, had a slow start to the season, including a 102-82 loss to Seattle on Sunday. They took control of the game with a 23-2 run in the first quarter and extended their lead to 54-36 in the second period. Although the Sparks made a late push,

cutting the lead to eight points with 4:07 remaining, the Aces maintained their advantage.

This game marked Plum's first return to Las Vegas since her January trade to the Sparks in a three-team deal that brought Loyd to the Aces from Seattle. The Sparks were missing Rickea Jackson, who was out for personal reasons. Jackson averages 7.0 points per game.