53 points! Gamecock great A’ja Wilson ties WNBA record with historic night

A’ja Wilson matched the single-game WNBA scoring record of 53 points to fuel the visiting Las Vegas Aces to a 112-100 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday in College Park, Georgia.

Wilson became the third player in WNBA history to eclipse 50 points in a single game, joining Liz Cambage (53, 2018) and Riquna Williams (51, 2013).

Wilson, who also had seven rebounds and four blocks, made 16 of 23 shots from the floor and 20 of 21 from the foul line for the game. The two-time WNBA MVP eclipsed her previous career high of 40 points, set during Las Vegas’ 113-89 win over the Washington Mystics on Aug. 11.

Wilson made four free throws in the final minute of the game Tuesday to reach her record-tying point total.

“My teammates found me in my spots and I was just really aggressive,” Wilson told reporters after the game. “I don’t think it was anything than I’ve been doing. I just went to the hoop a little bit more.”

Wilson’s big night came at the Dream’s Gateway Center Arena just south of Atlanta, a popular destination for Gamecock supporters when former players come to town. In addition to a following of USC faithful, Wilson said her father and brother were on hand to watch Tuesday’s game.

Wilson starred locally at Heathwood Hall before signing with Dawn Staley and the USC Gamecocks. Her career-best scoring output for a single game in college was 34 points.

Wilson was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 NCAA tournament during USC’s run to a championship. She also earned consensus National Player of the Year honors in 2018, and was named SEC Player of the Year three times while in Columbia. She held 86 school records when her college career wrapped, and the university honored her with a statue in front of Colonial Life Arena in January 2021.

The Las Vegas Aces drafted Wilson No. 1 overall in 2018. She’s a two-time WNBA MVP and a five-time All-Star. She won her first WNBA title in 2022 with the Aces.

Wilson is considered the front-runner for the MVP honor again with about a month to go in the regular season. She’s third in the league this season with 22.3 points per game, second in rebounds per game (9.5) and first in blocks (2.1).

“Wilson is having a career-best offensive season,” WNBA.com’s Nekias Duncan wrote. “She’s putting together a DPOY-caliber campaign on the other end.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 9:24 AM.