MINNEAPOLIS — The Las Vegas Aces lost to the Minnesota Lynx 87-74 on Friday night to extend the Lynx’s win streak to five games. 

The Aces were led by A’ja Wilson’s 24-point, 7-rebound performance. Tiffany Hayes and Jackie Young added 12 points in the losing effort, while Wilson’s co-star Kelsey Plum struggled with just 11 points on 4-10 shooting and four turnovers.

Napheesa Collier led the Lynx with 27 points and five assists while Alanna Smith, Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, and Natisha Williams each scored double-figures with 15, 13, 12, and 12 points respectively. 

Collier also notched 18 rebounds alone, while the Aces had 17 rebounds across the entire team.

Former Hawkeyes Kate Martin and Megan Gustafson each got limited minutes on the floor for the Aces. 

“I was in a lot of different roles at the University of Iowa, and I’ll be in a lot of different roles here too,” Martin said to The Daily Iowan before Friday’s game. “Being able to be a player that can accept their role and perform their role is really important when it comes to this league.”  

Martin saw just under three minutes of action, but she only accounted for one turnover. Gustafson came off the bench in both halves and scored five points. 

Alanna Smith scored first for the Lynx, but the lead was short-lived as Aces forward Alysha Clark came down to the other end to splash a three, kicking off the back-and-forth battle. 

Former Hawkeye Martin subbed in during the first half, but had minimal impact in her few minutes. Despite that, the crowd of attendees with quite a bit of black and gold in the stand cheered when Martin took the floor. Throughout the game, fans chanted for Martin to be put in the game, and signs supporting Martin could be seen across the Target Center arena.

Iowa Alumni Gustafson’s five points on her box score were impactful during the first half. A key layup from the XX cut the Lynx’s lead down, and Gustafson later responded by hitting a three of her own from the corner to once again bring the Lynx lead down to just one point.

Those points started to turn the tide, and while the Lynx ultimately came up on top, WIlson followed up Gustafson’s three with a shot of her own, giving the Aces the lead. 

The Aces offense continued to struggle as the game progressed, with turnovers and shots that wouldn’t fall in. Scoring, primarily from Wilson, was able to take a 17 point deficit and bring it down to within six, but that effort was not enough to take the game.  

At the post-game press conference, Collier commented on her historic performance, attributing said success to the level of focus and composure herself and her teammates had. 

“When we’re moving like that, it’s just the most fun basketball I’ve played,” Collier said.