LAS VEGAS — A’ja Wilson had 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Connecticut Sun 67-64 on Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

The Aces staved off a late run by the Sun, who nearly erased a seven-point deficit with 1:24 left when Alyssa Thomas hit back-to-back shots to pull Connecticut within three. DeWanna Bonner’s desperation 3-point attempt to tie the game fell short as time expired.

Chelsea Gray finished with 21 points for Las Vegas, while Jackie Young chipped in 11 as the franchise got its first WNBA Finals victory. The Aces were swept in 2008 when the team was in San Antonio and lost in three games in 2020.

“Coming from being swept and actually getting one. Pretty happy about this one,” Wilson said. “Not going to dwell on it long as we have a really tough Game 2 coming up.”

After squandering a first-quarter lead and allowing the Sun to control the second quarter and carry momentum in the third, the Aces outscored Connecticut 13-3 to close the third quarter before a record sold-out gathering of 10,135.

Thomas led Connecticut with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jonquel Jones added 15 points, Brionna Jones came off the bench to score 12, and Natasha Hiedeman contributed 10.

Dearica Hamby came off the bench a bit past the midway point of the third quarter and provided an immediate spark for the Aces with a pair of offensive rebounds, a putback under the basket, two assists and a steal as the Aces turned a six-point point deficit into a two-point lead heading into the final quarter.

Hamby missed the final month of the regular season because of a knee injury. She didn’t play in the first round of the playoffs and was used sparingly in the final two games of the semifinals.

The Aces set the tone early by taking a 12-5 lead, with Wilson leading the charge by scoring six points. Wilson finished the first quarter with 12 points, as Las Vegas shot 56.3% (9 of 16) from the floor.

The Sun wasted no time in getting back into the game, opening the second quarter by scoring the first six points, and eventually took a one-point lead at 30-29 behind a 13-4 run. The Aces shot a dreadful 3 for 15 (20%) and were outscored 21-9 in the second quarter. The Sun were 9 for 14 (64.2%).