Aces vs. Sun: Chennedy Carter Scores 27 Off the Bench as Las Vegas Routs Connecticut 98-69

Earlier on Wednesday, the WNBA and NBA boards of governors signed off on the sale of the Connecticut Sun and their move to Houston. Later that night, the Las Vegas Aces showed up at Mohegan Sun Arena and started helping with the packing.

Chennedy Carter came off the bench and shot 13 of 16 for 27 points, A'ja Wilson needed just 21 minutes for 22 points and 11 rebounds, and the Aces rolled to a 98-69 win that dropped the Sun to 0-3. The announced crowd of 5,452 got a long look at what a fully operational contender looks like, and an even longer look at what the opposite looks like.

Close for Six Minutes, Then Not Close at All

Connecticut actually led 8-6 early, which feels like a detail from a different game. The Aces ripped off seven straight to take the lead for good, and after the Sun got back within 13-11, Las Vegas exploded for 13 unanswered, six of them from Carter, to make it 26-11. A late 3 from Aneesah Morrow helped trim it to 28-19 after one.

The second quarter was a holding pattern. Las Vegas kept it between seven and 11 for most of the period before a 6-0 run pushed the margin to 46-32 with 2:27 left. Morrow kept the Sun afloat almost on her own, going 6 of 8 at the line in the quarter and reaching 15 points by halftime. The Aces led 48-37 despite making just one of their seven 3-point attempts, because they did not particularly need them. They had 32 paint points by the break.

Then came the third quarter, and with it, the end of any remaining doubt. Wilson, who had been held to six in the first half, scored 14 in the frame, and Las Vegas went 61.9 percent from the field while winning the period 30-16. The Aces hit a 20-point lead for the first time at 66-46 with 3:46 left, and Carter went the length of the floor to beat the buzzer on a layup that made it 78-53. An 11-0 run spanning the quarters pushed it to 87-53, and the lead eventually peaked at 36.

Carter Is Having a Very Good Week

Carter's line was absurd even before you remember she came off the bench. She shot 13 of 16, grabbed eight rebounds, had four assists and two steals, and did it all in 25 minutes. She was 7 of 9 for 14 points by halftime and came back for nine more in the fourth. The Aces say the 27 points were the fifth-most of her career and that it was the 25th time she has scored at least 20. She is back in the league this year after not signing with a team last season, and so far she appears to be making up for lost time.

Wilson, meanwhile, was almost casual about her greatness. Her 22 points came on 8-of-15 shooting with 11 rebounds, four of them offensive, along with two blocks and a plus-33 rating in 21 minutes. It was the first double-double of her season and the 121st of her career, which the Aces say ranks fifth among all-time WNBA leaders, with Tina Charles first at 201. The team also has her at 27 straight games in double figures, second-longest among active streaks in the league.

Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd scored 11 each, Young with six assists and Loyd with three 3s. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus had 10 points off the bench, and Chelsea Gray added seven points, six rebounds and six assists. Those Aces reserves finished with 48 points, 15 more than Connecticut's starters managed.

For Connecticut, Morrow finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, but she shot 4 of 16 and scored only one point after halftime. The Sun's notes credit her with a career high in free throws at 7 of 10. Olivia Nelson-Ododa added 14 on 5-of-7 shooting for her first double-figure game of 2026, even after hurting her right ankle in the middle of the second quarter and coming back. Raegan Beers scored all seven of her points in the fourth. The Sun played without Brittney Griner (left foot) and Aaliyah Edwards (left thigh), and the absence of that size showed.

The Third Quarter Ended the Debate

An 11-point halftime lead is not nothing, but Connecticut could still see Las Vegas from there. The opening minutes of the second half took that away. The Aces scored six straight right after a Nelson-Ododa basket, and Wilson started piling up her 14. By the time Carter finished her coast-to-coast buzzer-beater, a manageable game had become a 25-point hole, and the fourth quarter was just a formality with a running clock in spirit.

Stats That Matter

• 58-34: Points in the paint, in Las Vegas' favor. There was no resistance near the rim all night.
• 46-29: The Aces' rebounding margin, including 12 on the offensive end.
• 18-2: Fast-break points. When the Sun missed, which was often, the Aces ran.
• 54 to 33: Field goal percentage. Connecticut went 23 of 70 and 3 of 13 from deep.
• 18: Points Las Vegas scored off 14 Sun turnovers, against just 10 for Connecticut off 16 Aces giveaways.

Same Teams, Same Building, Two Days From Now

The Aces are 2-1 and 2-0 on the road, winners of two straight since a 99-66 opening loss to Phoenix. Connecticut is 0-3 and 0-2 at home, and the Sun's own recap notes that this was their ninth straight loss to Las Vegas.

Neither team has to travel far for the next one. They meet again on Friday night in the same arena, the last stop in Uncasville for the Aces before the Sun leave for Houston in time for the 2027 season, and then Las Vegas moves on to Atlanta to close out a four-game road swing.

Moving Day Comes Early

There is a version of this story that is about the Sun's future, about a new city and a new chapter and everything the people in that arena have to process. That is a real story, and it deserves more than a joke. But it is also true that on the very day the franchise's next address got approved, Carter went 13 of 16 and the Aces won by 29. Connecticut gets 48 hours to recover before doing this all over again. Somebody should check whether the moving company takes walk-ups.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press. Records and team notes from the Las Vegas Aces and Connecticut Sun team recaps.