The first game of this year’s WNBA final, which featured the MVP of the WNBA A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces beating the Phoenix Mercury 89-86 last Friday, was the first most watched match on the League round of the league since 1997.
The 1997 season was the inaugural campaign of the League. It was the only season when the WNBA finals lasted only one match. The Houston Comets beat New York 65-51 Liberty, and the match attracted an average of 2.85 million viewers, according to Sports Media Watch.
This year’s first game’s final match was an instant classic. Wilson produced another double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) while Dana Evans (21 points) and Jewell Loyd (18 points) dominated at the bench. Evans was particularly remarkable, marking 5 shots at three out of 6 points, including three in the fourth quarter.
The round-trip match ended in the final possession after the Aces took an advance of 89-86 after two free throws from Jackie Young. Sutou Sabally had a disputed look out of three to equalize the match, but it was out of words.
Las Vegas chained with a 91-78 victory in the second match. Young led the effort with 32 points, while Wilson scored 28 points and 14 rebounds.
This year marks the first time that the WNBA finals take place at the best of seven games, the Aces therefore need two additional victories to win their third championship.
The third match will take place in Phoenix on Wednesday at 8 p.m. he.
