With the Las Vegas Aces sitting their four star players in the team’s last regular-season game against the Dallas Wings on Sept. 19, center Megan Gustafson and guard Kate Martin saw season-high minutes with 29 and 32 minutes, respectively.

Gustafson recorded 24 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, one assist, and one steal on 9-of-16 shooting. Meanwhile, Martin finished with seven points, six rebounds, four assists, and one block on 1-of-7 shooting. 

The Aces then turned their attention to round one of the WNBA Playoffs, where they secured a dominating 2-0 series win over the Seattle Storm in the first round to advance to the semifinals. The Aces are aiming to win their third consecutive WNBA title. 

Martin didn’t see any action in those two games, while Gustafson furnished just one rebound and missed both field goal attempts in 10 total minutes between the two contests.  

Fourth-seeded Las Vegas is set to take on Sabrina Ionescu and the top-seeded New York Liberty on Sept. 28 in New York City. Tipoff and television times will be announced at a later date. 

Fever eliminated 

The Indiana Fever wrapped up its regular-season schedule with a 92-91 loss to the Washington Mystics on Sept. 19. Caitlin Clark and Co. were down as far as 18 points and eventually cut the game to a one-game score, but a missed game-winner at the buzzer secured the win for Washington.

The all-star guard played just 20 minutes and logged eight points, eight assists, five rebounds, and one steal on 2-of-5 shooting. 

Clark then made her playoff debut against a veteran-laden Connecticut Sun team, tallying 11 points, eight assists, four rebounds, three steals, and one block on 4-of-17 shooting in the 93-69 loss. 

Three nights later, Clark posted 25 points, nine assists, and six rebounds on 10-of-23 shooting as the Fever were eliminated with an 87-81 loss. It concludes a special rookie season for Clark, where she was named a WNBA All-Star and Rookie of the Year from the Associated Press.