Two of the greatest players in South Carolina women’s basketball history A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston shared the spotlight Thursday night as their WNBA teams faced off. The Las Vegas Aces traveled to Indianapolis to take on the Indiana Fever in a game that highlighted both stars, even if the contest itself was lopsided. The Fever cruised to an 81–54 victory, largely due to the Aces’ dismal 7-for-43 shooting outside of Wilson.
Despite the blowout, the battle between the USC alums was compelling. Boston impressed with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, adding seven rebounds and playing a key role in limiting Wilson on the glass. Alongside Natasha Howard, Boston kept Wilson to just three boards.
Still, Wilson was dominant offensively. She poured in 29 points on 9-of-18 shooting and was nearly perfect from the free-throw line (11-for-13). At one point, she had scored 25 of her team’s 36 points. In just 26 minutes, Wilson outscored the rest of her team combined, who totaled only 25 points across 174 minutes.
As she often does, Wilson made history, becoming the fastest player to reach 300 points, 100 rebounds, and 50 assists to start a season tying the all-time record. The reigning Western Conference Player of the Week also tied Elena Delle Donne for the third-most weekly honors in league history.
The two Gamecock legends are set to face off again in two weeks, though there’s a possibility they’ll be teammates. Both have been named All-Star Game starters, and the team captains Napheesa Collier and Caitlin Clark will draft their squads on July 8. The WNBA All-Star Game, featuring fellow South Carolina alum Allisha Gray as a starter, will air July 19 on ABC and stream on ESPN+ at 8:30 p.m.
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