INDIANAPOLIS — Becky Hammon likes to call Dana Evans “gears.” The fifth-year guard and first-year Aces player brings a unique pace and shiftiness to Las Vegas, and her ability to change speeds makes her a tough cover.
“She has the ability to turn a game around, and there’s not a lot of players that have that ability coming off the bench to really turn the tide,” Hammon said.
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The Aces needed Evans’ burst in the fourth quarter to take control against the Indiana Fever in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals. She spurred a 10-2 run that helped Las Vegas earn an 84-72 win and a 2-1 series advantage, putting the Fever in danger of elimination on Sunday. With a victory on Sunday, the Aces can advance to their fourth finals in six seasons.
The Fever mostly held A’ja Wilson in check — the four-time MVP missed 11 straight shots spanning the first through third quarters and finished with 13 points on 20 shots — but they couldn’t keep the other Aces off the board.
Las Vegas was nursing a two-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter after leading by as many as 12 when Evans took over. She finished with 10 points and five assists, helping to spark the Aces when they needed it most. She had a drive and dump-off to NaLyssa Smith to push the lead to four. She found Smith again on another drive, and though Smith fumbled the pass, Evans found her teammate two possessions later for a deep jumper that extended Las Vegas’ lead to five.
Once Indiana started playing the pass for Evans, she looked to score. She played to her nickname on a drive with 5:27 to play, stopping on a dime, and zooming back toward the cup. A baseline take followed soon after, and the Aces were up by double digits, comfortably en route to victory.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, WNBA
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